


Agents of S.W.O.R.D.

by wordwarrior (regachoisiah)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Not Fluff, season 5 speculation, will try to match the show in terms of intensity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-11-02 13:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 102,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10945947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/regachoisiah/pseuds/wordwarrior
Summary: (Season 5 speculation fic)Set months after S.H.I.E.L.D. was captured by the underground organization known as S.W.O.R.D., S.H.I.E.L.D. is faced with several new challenges. Coulson and May learn that the leader of S.W.O.R.D. is Abigail "Lola" Brand, an old rival of theirs during their first days as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Fitz is paired up with a dangerous S.W.O.R.D. agent who moonlights as a world-class thief and has her own agenda separate from S.W.O.R.D.'s goals. Simmons learns that her family is involved in something sinister and it has something to do with the Roxxon Corporation. Daisy befriends a S.W.O.R.D. agent who is not from this world. Yo-Yo and Mack encounter a little girl whose reason for existence could change the world. And Robbie Reyes goes head to head with a priest who is hellbent on taking the Darkhold back and unleashing Dormammu's wrath on the world.Just another day for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.





	1. The Cast List for this Season (NOT CHAPTER 1)

**Author's Note:**

> Well, since we won't get AOS back until 2018, I figured why not. Hope you enjoyed and please, leave a kudos and a comment! I love reading comments on here.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is technically "Chapter Zero". If you follow me on tumblr (by the way, I'm giveshangchihisownshow), I really love doing fancasts. I used to be an artistic director so casting has always been something I've been fond of. To really make this fic feel authentic, I thought I'd cast my original characters. Treat them like "recurring or guest stars". Hopefully, it'll help with the storytelling. 
> 
> This chapter will be updated whenever a new chapter gets posted. As of now, it's updated for "Normal Girl".

 

1) Jennifer Grey as Abigail "Lola" Brand: Director of S.W.O.R.D. and rival to Coulson and May.

2) Sophie Wu as Roxanne Minh Tran: A S.W.O.R.D. agent / world-class thief who has her own agenda.

3) Andrew Scott as Andrew Simmons: Jemma's older brother and a Roxxon executive.

4) Millie Bobby Brown as Kobik: The mysterious girl whose reason for existence could change the world. 

5) Steven Yeun as David Choi: The S.W.O.R.D. agent who is not from this world.

6) Raymond Cruz as Father Jorge Valdez: The evil priest who follows Dormammu and wants the Darkhold for himself.

 

INTRODUCED IN CHAPTER 1: S.S.D.D.

7) Julia Brown as young Gwendolynn MacTavish (later Gwendolynn Fitz): Leo Fitz's mom who kickstarts the events of season 5.  

8) Gbenga Akinnagbe as Agent V: The S.W.O.R.D. agent who finds Kobik. 

 9) Sunkrish Bala as Sandeep Subrahmanian: Gwendolynn MacTavish's partner 

 

INTRODUCED IN CHAPTER 3: WHEN SCIENCE AND MAGIC MEET 

10) Genesis Rodriguez as Lisa Ortega: Robbie's sidekick and law school student 

11) Shirley Henderson as Lydia Sutherland: Roxanne Minh Tran's mother 

12) Dylan Moran as Dr. Connor Collins: S.W.O.R.D. doctor who befriends Jemma Simmons

13) C.S. Lee as "The Bald Man": A high-ranking member of the Enlightened Society 

 

INTRODUCED IN CHAPTER 4: NEGATIVITY 

14) Isiah Whitlock, Jr. as George Washington Bridge: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director from 1999 to 2001

15) Stefanie Joosten as Mercy: The assassin sent by the Enlightened Society to kill Jemma Simmons

 

INTRODUCED IN CHAPTER 5: LOGICAL NIGHTMARE

16) Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Carmilla Black / Scorpion: Former undercover S.H.I.E.L.D. agent-turned-Enlightened Society member (one of the four main antagonists)

17) Manu Bennett as Andrew Forson / The Scientist Supreme: Infamous terrorist wanted for several human rights violations and member of the Enlightened Society (one of the four main antagonists)

18) Peyman Moaadi as Farid, Robbie Reyes' contact in Dubai and one of Bobbi and Hunter's clients 

 

INTRODUCED IN CHAPTER 6: A HOUSE DIVIDED

19) Shay Mitchell as Marian Moreno: Robbie Reyes' ex-girlfriend

 

INTRODUCED IN CHAPTER 7: NORMAL GIRL

20) Steve Coulter as James Power: Scientist who befriends Mack, Elena, and Kobik. Considers himself to be pro-S.H.I.E.L.D. since they saved his family during the Eli Morrow arc.  

21) Noah Schnapp as Alex Power: James' son who befriends Kobik. Develops a crush on her. 

22) Sophia Lillis as Julie Power: Alex's sister who befriends Kobik. She is Kobik's first real friend.  


	2. S.S.D.D. (Same S***, Different Day)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our story begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @capstevenrogers, @agentmilayawithshield, and @whistlingwindtree for helping me out with the story! Love you all.

_GWENDOLYNN MACTAVISH (BEFORE SHE BECAME 'GWENDOLYNN FITZ')_

 

_Location: Undisclosed_

_Time: 3:00 AM_

_Year: 1980, 7 years before Leo Fitz was born_

 

_"Surely you know what you're doing, right?"_

_Gwendolynn MacTavish looked at her lab partner with exasperation. Sandeep Subrahmanian looked back at her with the same apprehension as he handed over the suitcase he brought with him. Gwen took it and quickly punched in the combination._

_Beautiful. That was her first thought when she first saw the glowing objects. It was a great feeling of relief to know that the Cosmic Cube was not completely lost._

_"It's just a shard," Sandeep said, rubbing his hands nervously, "I don't know where the other pieces went."_

_"How many are we missing?" Gwendolynn asked._

_"Last time I checked...there's five more pieces. Like I said, I don't know where they-"_

_"Oh, I already know the location of two of them. The question now is how are we going to get them."_

_"You do realize that just by having these crystals, you're putting a bullseye on the back of your head. S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to come after you and believe me when I say that Peggy Carter was furious when she found out the piece was missing. They may even bring in the Ant-Man to take you down."_

_"I can handle Ant-Man. Really...all that matters is that you found it."_

_Sandeep paused. After looking around to make sure the coast was clear, he leaned in and whispered, "What do you plan on doing once you have all six shards?"_

_"That, my friend, is none of your concern."_

_"What do you mean it's not-" The silencer quiets the pistol that she had hidden behind her back. Sandeep collapses into her arms, blood coming out of his mouth. She holds him steady, trying to make him as comfortable as possible before the inevitable._

_"What are you doing-"_

_"I'm sorry, old friend," Gwendolynn said sincerely, "But you should've seen this coming."_

_"We were supposed to do this together-" And after another silenced shot, Sandeep collapsed for the final time. Just like that, their five-year partnership came to an end. But it needed to be done. The Cosmic Cube was too important to leave loose ends._

_Gwen shoved aside Sandeep's body. Step one was complete. Now onto the next phase._

 

* * *

 

ROBBIE 

Location: San Francisco, near the harbor area overlooking Alcatraz. 

Time: Midnight

 

"Goddammit, he's coming again-"

That was the last thing the thug said before Robbie Reyes burned a hole in the man's chest. The thug's friend, who was standing next to him as he burned to death, fired off a few shots but to no avail. He should've known by now that mortal weapons were no threat to the Ghost Rider. In Robbie's mind, he was more amazed that the thugs didn't just surrender at the sight of him. That was how most people reacted to him. He decided that they were either braver than he thought or stupider. Or most likely both. 

One by one, the thugs fell and the harbor was littered with burnt corpses in no time. After getting through the last thug on the street, he focused his attention on the restaurant that the thugs had barricaded themselves into. Effortlessly, he swung his chain at the barricade and sliced it open with two quick swings. _Easy._

As he approached, he began to really think about the situation. Something was bothering him about how the thugs were acting. What started out as a simple robbery in downtown San Francisco turned into something strange, even for him. The thugs that he had temporarily spared in order to shake down for information, one after the other, all told him the same thing.

 _Blood for the girl, new life not from God. Tonight we proved even the meek is capable of creating life._  

Every single thug had the same response. _This can't be right, must be some cult or something. But why would a bunch of crazy religious zealots rob a bank? And what girl? And what exactly did they steal?_  The latter bothered Robbie the worst since the zealots had left all the money in the bank. But they  _did_ leave with something. It was either that or he just imagined seeing the zealots walk out with a stuffed duffel bag.

Something wasn't adding up and Robbie was ready to tear through the entire gang to get to the truth. 

Inside, the thugs kept firing at him. To humor them, he stood and took the hail of bullets. When all of them ran out of ammo, he cracked his neck and went to work. They fell like dominoes to him. He had stopped trying hours ago and now, he was just swatting them away as if they were nuisances. The effort they were putting was admirable but ultimately, misplaced. Robbie had to fight back a nod of disappointment when one of the thugs tried to ambush him from behind. Just one step to the side to avoid the hit and one light tap to the man's chest and he exploded into flames. No challenge whatsoever.

With all but one of the thugs dead, Robbie reverted back to his human form.  _Gotta do this in person, I need a solid answer this time._ The surviving thug tried to crawl away but just as he reached the door, Robbie stomped on one of the man's hands. Unnecessary but it felt good to do anyways.

"So," Robbie started, "You gonna actually talk or are you just gonna repeat what all the other dead guys have already told me?"

"Blood for the girl, new life not from-" The man stopped mid-sentence as Robbie knelt down and grabbed him by the neck.  _This is getting ridiculous._

"What the hell does that mean, fool!? Do you really want me to do this?" Robbie loosened his grip as the man tried to speak. 

"You think he's scared of you?" the zealot thug said with a sneer, "You think anyone from the church is scared of you? Father Valdez told us all about you, the so-called Ghost Rider. You're not the first one he's encountered...and you certainly aren't the best."

"I wasn't aware that this was a damn competition. Now, what church? Who are you talking about? What did you steal from the bank because it sure as hell wasn't money?"

"You think just because you have the Darkhold means you fully understand what it is? Do you even understand the spirit within you? You may be the Ghost Rider but you're still just a little fish trying to swim in a large ocean."

"Are you actually going to tell me something? Give me something. What girl? What does 'new life not from God' mean? Because if all you're gonna do is spout some nonsense, I'll just switch back to the Rider and be done with you. But if you tell me something good, I'll be generous and let you walk."

The thug zealot smiled again. Robbie could handle the frowns but a smiling madman? To make things worse, the zealot started to laugh. Like a clown from a jack-in-the-box. Something about it made his skin crawl.

"Actually," the zealot said, "You're gonna kill me anyways. I can see it in your face. You made that decision hours ago, just like how I made the decision not to say anything. So you might as well kill me now and stop wasting time."

"You seem eager to go."

"Me and my brothers' work here is done. Eternal sleep doesn't sound too bad."

"Yeah, well, let's see if you'll reconsider that statement after spending an hour in hell." And just like that, Robbie turned back into the Rider and lit the man on fire. Like all the rest, the man screamed as he was reduced to nothing but ashes. 

Back to square one. Despite clearing out the gang, he was exactly where he was when the night started. He still had no idea what the zealots were talking about. He didn't even know what they were stealing-

Robbie stopped that train of thought as soon as he saw the black duffel bag. It was lying next to the burnt corpse of another zealot. Immediately, he ran to the bag and reached in, hoping to get an answer. He sighed when he pulled out nothing but dirt.

"Dammit," Robbie said to himself, "Looks like some of them got away. Whatever was in here must've been extremely valuable in order for them to go through all of this." He tossed the bag aside, frustrated at his losses. As he tossed the bag, a single grain of sand fell from the bag.

What happened next baffled him completely. There was a short but bright flash of light and the power to the room died. Then, all the fires that he had started were killed. The smell of fire and burnt corpses disappeared and when Robbie checked, all the lights from the street had gone out.

Immediately, Robbie picked up the grain of sand, perplexed. 

_This wasn't a simple robbery then after all._

After grabbing the black duffel bag, making sure all the grains of sand were inside, he ran out and hopped back into the Hell Charger.  _This is bigger than I thought. Time to go on a hunt. Will need to consider bringing Daisy and the rest of her friends along...wherever the hell they are now._

 

* * *

 

MACK

Location: Coulson and Mack’s cell, located in S.W.O.R.D.’s space station, The Peak

"And now, we're officially eight months into this nightmare".

Mack groaned as Coulson used his plastic fork that he had sharpened to carve a tally mark into the wall. There were eight, one for each month that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been held in captivity. For eight months, they weren't allowed outside. They were fed and kept healthy, of course, but aside from that, they may as well have been in solitary confinement. To pass the time, Coulson and Mack had grown used to a certain routine. Every morning, they'd eat whatever food was sent to the room. Every afternoon (or at least what they thought was the afternoon), they'd exercise and discuss theories about their captors. And every night, they'd share stories about their previous adventures. It was either do the routine or go insane.

"Eight months and still no clue as to where we are and why these guys want us," Mack added, "You'd think someone would come find us by now."

"Well, we are- _were-_ part of a top secret spy agency and part of that job was keeping our activities quiet."

"We were public with Jeffrey Mace."

"And that was a while ago." At that, Mack and Coulson fell silent. _Dammit...shouldn't have mentioned Jeffrey Mace._ Mack cursed himself for even bringing up the man's name. He's been dead for months now but it still felt too soon to bring him up. 

Bringing up anything from the Framework still felt too soon. He couldn't get the last image of Hope disappearing from his eyes out of his head. Every once in a while, he'd have a nightmare about what happened. He'd wake up with a cold sweat and he'd spend the night just trying to calm himself. At least he had Coulson with him every time a nightmare struck. He was surprisingly good at helping him through the panic attacks. Then again, Coulson was a S.H.I.E.L.D. veteran who'd been in several dangerous situations. Mack never asked but he decided that this was not the first time Coulson had to deal with someone suffering from a panic attack.    

"Yeah," Mack said, "Though being stuck here for months does blur time up a bit-"

And just like that, the cell's doors became transparent, like the small cell that S.H.I.E.L.D. had shoved Grant Ward into. Coulson and Mack immediately stood up and headed to the door to see who was there. It was a lady with long, green hair and was in her mid-fifties. She was smiling, which looked unnatural on her. Mack turned to Coulson, who had closed his eyes and sighed.

"Evening Alphonso, Philip," the woman said, "I'm sorry it took this long for me to get to you but I was dealing with cleaning up S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mess."

"Who the hell are you-"

"-Abigail Brand," Coulson said, cutting Mack off, "Director of the Sentient World Observation and Response Department a.k.a. S.W.O.R.D.. They're a little above our pay grade in terms of secrecy."

"Damn," Mack said, "Here I was thinking that we got kidnapped by some other branch of HYDRA."

"I was thinking the Hand."

"What the hell is the Hand?"

"Oh, it's this ancient, Japanese ninja cult that me, Melinda, and Robert Gonzales ran into a decade ago-"

"Are you two serious right now?" Abigail spat out, cutting Coulson off, "And seriously, Phil...the Hand? Do you really think they have the funds to operate a space station? They lost to the Defenders for God's sake."

"Okay, and who are the Defenders-"

"-not important to this conversation." 

Mack facepalmed as Abigail Brand sighed.  _This conversation got off to a weird start,_ Mack thought. 

"Oh, I forgot to mention one more thing," Coulson said to Mack, "I knew Abigail Brand by a different name...Lola."

And just like that, Mack felt like he had stepped into a land mine. All he wanted to do was back away and leave the room. He knew the significance of naming something you cared about so much after another person. Coulson wouldn't let _anyone_ near the car so if this Abigail Brand person was that significant to him, he knew he would be out of place in this conversation.

"Oh," was all that Mack could muster.

"Oh indeed," Abigail said with a chuckle, "Nice to run into you again Phillie. Your team has been quite busy these past few years. HYDRA, Inhumans, the Hive, Ghost Rider, Life Model Decoys, and then a virtual reality utopia created from the use of the Darkhold."

"When you put it all together, it does sound a bit strange," Coulson said.

"Oh, we've seen stranger things."

"No I haven't. I mean, I don't even have a Netflix account so how could I have-"

"Phil. Shut up. Seriously." Coulson chuckled while Mack looked at Coulson, exasperated. _Was this really a time for jokes?_

"So," Mack said, trying to get some answers, "Why does S.W.O.R.D. want us?"

"That, you'll find out tomorrow," Abigail said, "I'm still wrapping up on the PR mess that S.H.I.E.L.D. left behind but once I do, I'll let your whole team out. You're not captives here, you're refugees. We did this for your own good."

"You mean S.W.O.R.D.'s own good," Coulson said sternly.

"If S.H.I.E.L.D. goes down, S.W.O.R.D. may go next. I can't even count how many times your organization has nearly jeopardized mine. And after Glenn Talbot's failed assassination attempt and Jeffrey Mace's death, you forced me to intervene."

"No one forced you to do anything, Lola."

"True...but it was either that or let your team cause another major, international crisis. Now, we can argue about this all night but I have things to do."

"Hold on," Mack shouted, "Where's the rest of our team! Where's Daisy!? Where's Elena-"

Lola reactivated the wall and Mack stepped back, frustrated.  _Dammit...so that went nowhere._

"Lovely lady," Mack said, the frustration coming through. 

"Trust me, she's not lovely," Coulson said.

"You mind telling me how you know her? Why the hell did you name your car after that green-haired nightmare? You couldn't have named your car 'May'?" 

"Oh god...that is a long, long story-"

"I'm not going anywhere, in case you haven't noticed."

"Fine...but I'm warning you right now, the story doesn't end well for both of us." 

* * *

JEMMA 

Location: Yo-Yo, Fitz and Simmons’ cell

 

_"I'm sorry Jemma...I can't be with you anymore. Not after what I did to you in the Framework. You deserve better-"_

_"Fitz, how many times do I have to tell you, that wasn't you-"_

_"It was me! I may not be the Doctor anymore but I did everything on my own accord! I hurt you because I wanted to! Why would you still want to be with me?!"_

_"Fitz...you can't just...we can't just...not after-"_

_"-just...please just...stay away from me."_

_"Your LMD told me that you were planning on proposing to me."  
_

_"Oh for god's sake-"_

_"-And I never told you before but I was going to say yes! And I still will! Why isn't that enough?"_

_"Because I'm not a good man, don't you get it! I'm my father...I'm Ward...I'm...the Doctor."_

_"So that's it then, you're not even gonna try to fix this?"_

_"What's there to fix...seriously? I'm sorry Jemma but I can't."_

_"...we really are cursed then."_

 

Five months after the argument

 

The room was quiet as Yo-Yo, Fitz, and Simmons enjoyed their meal. It was nothing too extravagant, just some bread with butter, salad, and a cup of (terrible) coffee. As usual, Yo-Yo sat in the center of the room while Fitz and Simmons sat in different corners. And like every other meal, it was an awkward mess of no one speaking.

The argument happened months ago but she still hated having it, especially with Yo-Yo in the room. She couldn't imagine just how awkward that must've been for her.  

As for Fitz, she wasn't even mad at him, just disappointed. _Maybe this was for the best._ That's what she kept telling herself, that he needed some time and space to heal. Still, everything about the break-up hurt. He had confessed that he only had room in his heart for her but even then, he couldn't bring himself to continue their relationship. But after what he went through in the Framework, Jemma decided that the break-up was needed. He needed the space to heal.

_No...this isn't a break-up. We're just taking a break. A much needed one._

They did make some progress in the past few days. Fitz started talking again, to both her and Yo-Yo. It was slow but at least they were on speaking terms again. Jemma even caught Fitz chuckling at a joke she told Elena. 

It wasn't much but it was enough. Enough for now. As long as they stayed together-

The cell's doors opened and Fitz, Simmons, and Yo-Yo stood to face whoever it was. Standing in front of them was a short, Asian woman with a pixie haircut. She had at least five guards behind her, all armed to the teeth. Jemma immediately recognized the uniforms because of her time as part of Mace's inner circle.

S.W.O.R.D. 

"Make sure Miss Rodriguez doesn't get any funny ideas," the woman said. A guard moved up and shoved his stun gun to Elena's throat. Elena just glared at him as she sipped her coffee. She didn't even look mad, just irritated.

"You already have my feet restrained," Elena said, putting the cup of coffee down, "I couldn't use my powers even if I wanted to."

"Still...you're bunked in a room with a world-class engineer and biochemist. They could've tampered with your restraints. Just playing it safe."

 _Hmm...she's Scottish._ Jemma could've sworn Fitz perked up when he heard the woman's Scottish accent. 

The woman stepped up towards Fitz. Jemma watched carefully, ready to pounce if anything funny happened. Elena, even with the stun gun to her neck, turned to see what was going on. 

"My name's Roxanne Minh Tran," the woman said, "I'm head of S.W.O.R.D.'s security division. And yes, I know what you're thinking. I'm only half-Chinese. My mother's from Scotland."

"Um...great?" Fitz said, unsure how to answer her. 

"You're Leopold Fitz, yeah? The genius engineer who got his PhD at 17?" 

"Um...yes."

"Good, I only need you. Come with me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jemma shouted as she ran over to confront Roxanne, "You're not taking him."

Roxanne groaned as she turned around to face Jemma like a teacher about to scold a misbehaving student.  _It's like she rehearsed this meeting._

"We're not going to execute him or anything, Miss Simmons," Roxanne said with her arms crossed, "I just need his help on a project I'm working on."

"Take me with you then, we work better together-"

"-I don't need a damn biochemist. I need an engineer. Now unless you can explain to me what's wrong with our missile defense system in less than two minutes, you're staying."

Jemma said nothing. She had her there. 

"Good, I didn't think so. Come on Leopold. I can show you around the base while we walk."

As Roxanne turned to leave, Jemma tried one more thing. It was foolish, extremely reckless, but she had to stand her ground here. 

"If anything happens to him," Jemma said with menace in her tone, "If I even hear a word that you and S.W.O.R.D. have mistreated him...I'll kill you." She didn't know what to expect after saying that. She was hoping she'd at least feel scared or intimidated. 

Instead, Roxanne smiled at her. For some reason, just seeing this woman smiling sent chills down her spine. Then, just as Jemma flinched from the smile, Roxanne frowned and sent a thunderous punch to Jemma’s gut, immediately flooring her. Jemma had to force herself not to throw up. Fitz and Yo-Yo, before they even had a chance to react, were pushed back by Roxanne’s guards.

“Don’t even try it, lover boy,” Roxanne’s main bodyguard said to Fitz. When Jemma looked up, she could see the fire in his eyes. Yo-Yo as well. But it was a hopeless situation; if either of them attacked, it would only make things worse. Jemma forced herself to sit upright, hoping that it would calm Fitz and Yo-Yo down in order to de-escalate the situation. As she did, Roxanne took a knee to directly face her. Her face was stone-cold serious, her eyes piercing with controlled anger.

“Don’t you ever take that tone with me again, bitch,” Roxanne said as she brushed her fist as if she had touched something unclean. “If you ever threaten my life again or if you even think about getting smart with me...I’ll carve your face up like a pumpkin on Halloween to the point that even your boyfriend won’t want anything to do with you. Now, are we clear about that?”

Jemma said nothing. To preserve what dignity she had left, she just nodded her head. Roxanne was unamused.

“I want to hear you say the words, ‘no Miss Tran, I’ll be a good little girl and not say ignorant things that’ll get me and my friends in trouble’. Now…repeat.”

“Jemma, just do it,” Yo-Yo said as the guard threatening her raised his stun gun to her neck.

Jemma swallowed and, with her fists clenching, said, “no Miss Tran...I’ll be a...good little girl and...not say ignorant things that’ll get me and my friends in trouble.”

“Good. Very good. I hope we can move past this and become friends. I’m sorry I had to lay the law down on you like that but you can’t go around saying ignorant stuff like that without consequence.”

“You punch me, threaten my friends and to carve my face, and you still expect us to be friends?”

Roxanne laughed, as if it was a joke. “You S.H.I.E.L.D. agents have such hang-ups. Lighten up, will you?”  

Pleased with herself, Roxanne stood up and walked towards Fitz. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. Just focus on your work and you’ll be back with your friends in no time.”

“What exactly are we doing?” Fitz said, trying his best not to sound angry.

“You’ll figure that out soon enough. Come on, let’s go Leopold. And by the way, I’m sticking with your first name. I hate calling people by their last names.”

With that, Roxanne and her guards opened the cell doors and left the room, with Fitz in tow. He took one last look at Jemma before the doors closed behind him.

And like a switch, Jemma felt the tears come to her eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was from the pain of the punch or just how hopeless the situation felt.

* * *

DAISY 

Location: May and Daisy’s cell  

 

"You'll be let out tomorrow."

Daisy and May struggled not to groan as the guard on the other side of the transparent door told them that. He was an Asian man in his thirties who was quite fit and of average height. Daisy was furious at her situation but in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but notice how attractive he was. 

_Way to go Daisy, how the hell was that even something you can be thinking about right now. Come on, he's the enemy here. Stay focused._

But if she was being truthful to herself, she actually felt relieved to see another person after being locked in solitary confinement for months. The only thing that could make the situation better was if S.W.O.R.D. could remove the restraints on her arms that were blocking her powers. It was fine for the first few months but afterwards, she started feeling drained from the constraints.

"S.W.O.R.D. trusts us like that?" May asked, trying not to sound irritated at the situation.

"S.W.O.R.D. doesn't...but Abigail Brand does. And if she trusts you all, then we have to follow her lead."

"Wait...Lola?"

"Coulson's car?" Daisy asked, "What the hell does that...oh wait...is Abigail Brand 'Lola'?" 

"What is a Lola?" the S.W.O.R.D. agent asked.

"It's a car, a really nice one too," Daisy said, "It can also fly. And apparently, it's your boss' nickname."

"Me and Lola go way back," May said, "Way, way, way back. When I first started in S.H.I.E.L.D."

 _Damn,_ Daisy thought,  _this is some Star Wars prequel-level drama right here._

"Oh," the guard said, pleasantly surprised, "Were you close friends?"

"I hated her. My favorite memory with her was when I body slammed her on a chicken coop. Long story." 

"Won't even ask about it. Not sure why Abigail is insistent on letting you two and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. out but it's up to her. She's already let your engineer buddy out."

 _Fitz._ Daisy had almost forgotten that everyone else was on the base in the exact situation. Just hearing a mention of someone from their group got her attention. 

"Fitz!" Daisy said, running towards the transparent wall to directly face the guard, "Is he okay?'

"He's fine, just a little shaken up. The head of security, Roxanne Minh Tran, has him."

_Roxanne Minh Tran...never heard of her._

"Oh...is that a good thing?" Daisy asked, worried about what the answer might be. 

"No." 

Daisy was taken aback by the bluntness of the answer. Then again, nothing has been good ever since they were captured. 

"I'll make sure he's fine," the guard continued, "I wouldn't worry too much, it looks like she just needs him to help her with S.W.O.R.D.'s defenses."

"Doesn't S.W.O.R.D. have their own engineers?"

"We do, that's why I said it may not be a good thing he's with her. But the more you think about it, the more aggravated you'll be and really, what can you do about it? If I were you, I'd stop imagining the worst case scenario and just try to get some rest. Also, come up with some good questions to ask Abigail Brand tomorrow. She's gonna want to meet you all." 

"Oh gee, can't wait," May said sarcastically. The S.W.O.R.D. agent raised his eyebrows at May, a little annoyed at her attitude. 

"Don't mind her," Daisy said, trying to play nice, "She's just mad about everything that's happened. 

"I get it."

Suddenly, the guard's eyes moved down. If Daisy hadn't known better, she could've sworn he was staring.  _Well, he's a pig, can't trust a nice guy._

"Yo," Daisy said, "My eyes are up here. Yes, I have boobs, get over it."

"Oh, no, I wasn't looking there," the guard said, innocently, "You're wearing the Inhuman restraint gloves. Why?"

Daisy looked at the restraints again. They were a much more powerful version than the ones Simmons had developed. But at the same time, she didn't feel quite as drained. The gloves still hurt but at least she was able to tolerate them. The key difference was that the gloves were locked to her arms. 

"Well, they probably thought I would quake my way out of here," Daisy said, grinning.

"We're in space."

"I know, that's what I thought."

"Here. I'm gonna open the doors but you're gonna have to promise me you won't do anything funny." 

"If I did anything, S.W.O.R.D. would just take me and May down. What are you gonna do anyways?"

The guard didn't answer. He simply opened the doors and walked inside. May watched closely, ready to strike if something were to happen. Daisy tensed up, ready to punch the man in the face when he reached out and unlocked the gloves. Daisy couldn't help but gasp at the feeling of the gloves being removed from her arms. _Damn...I miss this feeling. Just feeling...normal._

"I know these gloves hurt Inhumans," the guard said, "I'm not trying to buy your trust by doing this, by the way. I just think these things are cruel."

"How did you know?"

At that, the guard laughed. He stepped outside and turned the wall back on.

"Trust me when I say that I know more about Inhumans than you'd think," he said, "It's my specialty."  

"Hey, if S.W.O.R.D. had these gloves put on me, then they probably did the same to Elena. She's the other Inhuman they brought in with us. If you can, can you-"

"-remove the gauntlets they placed on her? Sure thing."

"Thanks. I mean...wow, just...thanks."

"No problem...I'll see you and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. tomorrow." The guard turned to leave. 

Before he could reach the end of the corridor, Daisy shouted out, “Hey, what’s your name? I never got it.”

The S.W.O.R.D. agent turned around. With a big smile on his face, he said, “David Choi. You can call me Dave, everyone else does.”

“Alright Dave...thanks for taking the gloves off. I can sleep better at night.”

“No problem. Also, feel free to tell Commander Brand that I removed them. She's used to me being in trouble anyways.”

And with that, David left and the transparent cell doors turned back into a wall. Daisy stepped away from the door and plopped on her bed, taking a big bite of the apple that had come with her breakfast. May just shrugged her head as she laid back down on her bed.

Without thinking about what she was saying, Daisy blurted out, “He was kinda hot, don’t you think?” _Shit, shouldn’t have said that. Now she's gonna give me a lecture-_

"I agree," May said with a straight face, "But remember, he's one of them. Remember the last time you fell for one of the bad guys?"

"Hey! May I remind you that  _you_ also slept with him."

At that, both May and Daisy laughed. Never in a million years did Daisy think she would ever laugh at something related to Ward.  

* * *

END-TAG

Location: Alcatraz Island, outside of San Francisco

Time: Two hours after Robbie's encounter with the cultists 

 

There was a stillness in the air as Agent V and his team moved in to investigate the anomaly that was detected just a mere two hours ago. There was a burning scent in the air, as if lightning had struck the area more than once. As he moved closer to the anomaly, the smell worsened. He felt like he could throw up.

When the team reached the location, V ordered for the team to stop. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.

A crater had formed outside of the entrance into the prison. Smoke was still rising from the spot but surprisingly, the ground felt cool. When V peered down the crater, he immediately turned around and signaled headquarters.

_Abigail’s gonna have a headache from this._

“This is Agent V. We’re at the anomaly. No casualties but we definitely found something.”

“What do you see?”

"It’s a little girl. We’re bringing her back with us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I can promise a happy, fluffy ending to this all but since I want to be as true to the show as possible...expect a lot of drama. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out as soon as possible because I really LOVE writing this. 
> 
> Anyways, if you want, please leave a kudos and review! Like I said, I love reading comments on here!


	3. The Merger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are free from captivity but their problems are just starting as they get a bit of a rude awakening as they are formally introduced into S.W.O.R.D.

_COULSON_

_Location: Madame J's Bar, downtown San Francisco_

_Time: 8:00 PM_

_Year: 1984_

 

_"You know it's impolite to stare."_

_Coulson almost choked on his drink as he turned to face the green-haired woman next to him. He wasn't embarrassed that she caught him staring. He was embarrassed that she knew this whole time that he was trying to get close to her._

_"Sorry about that," Coulson said, ready to leave her sight and find the nearest rock to hide under._

_"Don't go. Didn't say I wanted you to leave, just that it's impolite to stare. You obviously wanted to sit next to me so I'm giving you my consent to do so."_

_"Uh...alright." Coulson really didn't expect to get this far. He braced himself for a drink to the face but again to his surprise, she didn't. His mind was doing backflips for his sudden good luck. He got what he wanted and he gave himself a mental high-five just as he took his seat._

_"So...may I know why you're fine with me being next to you?" Coulson asked, innocently. The woman laughed, taking a sip from her glass. Coulson was impressed since by the looks of what she was drinking, it was definitely hard liquor._

_"I'm bored, if you want the truth," she said bluntly, "And the guys that do approach me are sorry wastes of space. Always saying they deserve some time with me but never actually proving why they deserve that. But their biggest problem is that they're just plain boring. All of them talk about the same thing. If it's not their previous mission, it's their workout routine. If it's not their workout routine, it's what they plan on doing with me later tonight. And all of them are uninteresting. But you're a funny man, right?"_

_"Um...I guess? How did you know-"_

_"I saw your little stand-up routine," she said with a wink, "You know, the one at that comedy club a few nights ago? Not bad."_

_Coulson chuckled. His short-lived career as a stand-up comedian at the Cheaper Than Therapy comedy club. He had done it after losing a bet to a few of his fellow S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that the Washington Redskins would defeat the Los Angeles Raiders at the Super Bowl. The one thing that stood out that night was that right after his set, the manager of the club congratulated him and told him that his stand-up skills were "average at best". That was more than enough to push him away from a career in comedy._

_"Cheaper Than Therapy," Coulson said, his face reddening from embarrassment, "Yeah...that was a thing that happened."_

_"I especially liked your rant about how 'Sophie's Choice' may be the greatest movie ever made."_

_"For the record, I was running out of jokes so I just started talking about the first thing that popped in my head."_

_"And the first thing you thought of was Meryl Streep?"_

_"Well...to be fair, she is a brilliant actress and I've seen that movie like five times now."_

_Coulson and the green-haired woman laughed. It was nice, hearing her laugh. Just like that, all the awkwardness from before disappeared. The woman took another sip from her glass and fully turned in her seat to face Coulson._

_"So...I hear you're going on your first mission tomorrow."_

_"Yup...just on the other side of the bridge, in Sausalito. Got paired up with another new recruit, Melinda May. Never met her before."_

_"I've met her. She's a lovely lady, you two will get along just fine."_

_"You know...this is a bit embarrassing but I never got your name."_

_At that, the woman smiled. She finished her drink and, in a way that got Coulson's heart racing, the woman said, "Abigail...Abigail Brand."_

* * *

COULSON

Location: Main lobby area of the Peak 

 

The cell doors opened and at least five S.W.O.R.D. agents walked inside to wake Coulson and Mack. Coulson groaned as he stood up and followed the guards outside. Mack looked just as irritated as Coulson was. 

"Easy there, stormtroopers," Coulson said with a yawn, "We're going."

"Commander Abigail Brand doesn't like to be held up," one of the guards said. Coulson rolled his eyes immediately.  _Of course she doesn't._

"Where's the rest of our group?" Mack asked.

"They're already in the lobby," the same guard said, "Now, move it." 

Coulson nodded his head and the both of them followed the guards to the main lobby area.

As they followed the security detail, Mack and Coulson couldn't help but look around the base. It was quite impressive. Coulson had only heard of the Peak before but this was the first time he had ever stepped foot inside. The hallways were bright white and polished clean and the whole base had a certain futuristic-feel to it. If he wasn't being held against his will, he decided he wouldn't mind spending a few days in the base as a tourist. 

As Coulson and Mack reached the lobby area, it was hard not to feel excited at the sight of the other agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. They looked just as tired as Coulson and Mack did but all that disappeared when the group looked up to see them. On instinct, Coulson raised his arms as Daisy ran to him and gave him a bear hug that was so tight, it felt like she was trying to break him. He hugged May next, who whispered in his ear that she was worried about him. As he hugged May, Coulson saw Mack hugging Elena.  _Cute._

Coulson hugged Jemma last. Much to his surprise, Fitz was missing. He didn't say anything but he could tell from Jemma's face that something happened to him in the past few hours. He knew Abigail could be unpleasant but surely she couldn't be  _that_ cruel. 

"Where's Fitz," Coulson asked. Jemma's face dropped even further and Coulson cursed himself for even bringing him up. 

"The head of S.W.O.R.D.'s security, Roxanne Minh Tran, has her," Jemma said, a noticeable tone of sadness in her voice, "He had no say in it...and I got punched for trying to protest." 

"What the hell? Is this a good thing? Why does she need him? Can someone fill me in on this-"

"-what my security chief does on her own time is not your concern, Phil," Abigail said as she entered the lobby area. Coulson could've sworn that he saw May roll her eyes as Abigail and her made eye contact.  _Some things never change._

"I trust Roxanne with my life," Abigail continued, "She's done a lot for S.W.O.R.D. and even S.H.I.E.L.D. so if she needs your little engineering friend, then let her have him."

Coulson noticed Jemma was a bit uneasy at this notion. He wanted to say something, to speak up on this situation. But he had no authority here. Knowing Lola, he decided to avoid asking about Fitz.  _Maybe another time._

"He's gonna be okay though, right?" Mack asked. Coulson mentally face-palmed as he saw Abigail's eyebrows perk up.

"Are you questioning my chief of security, Mr. MacKenzie?" Abigail said, slightly irritated, "Leopold Fitz is in good hands. Let me make this clear, I don't want anyone questioning the loyalty and intentions of my S.W.O.R.D. agents. If you have a problem with this, I suggest you swallow your concern and move on."

"Look, Miss Brand," Daisy said, stepping up as she did, "We're not trying to be difficult but it's just...we'd feel a bit more comfortable if our whole team was-"

"-your comfort is not my concern, Miss Johnson. And if you want my honest opinion, your team is better off separated than together." 

"Excuse me," Coulson said, offended at the remark. He told himself that he would stay out of this argument but now, he felt he had to intervene. Especially now that his team was being disrespected. "My team works better together than separate. We've spent the last few years together, you can't just accuse us of-"

"-actually, I can Philip," Abigail said, the menace in her tone starting to show, "Now, allow me to explain something so we can move on from this pointless conversation. Like I said to you, you're not prisoners here...you're refugees. What I mean by that is S.W.O.R.D. is not your enemy. We actually did you all a favor by picking everyone up. S.H.I.E.L.D. obviously can't come back from their losses. Not after Jeffrey Mace's death, not after Glenn Talbot's near-death. Unless a miracle happens, S.H.I.E.L.D. is as dead as HYDRA is. That being said, it'd be a shame and a loss to the world if all of you were to be locked away for life. So think of this as...a merger. Any surviving remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. will now be merged into S.W.O.R.D.."

"So...we're agents of S.W.O.R.D. now?" Coulson asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes and congrats on your promotion. Now with all that said...I can't have you and your team together. Not after what happened these past few months. I mean, seriously Philip...the Life Model Decoy disaster? Which, may I remind you, started because an agent of yours teamed up with a scientist who should've been on lockdown and went behind everyone's back to create the LMDs, without proper authorization from Director Mace. Then we have the Framework, which led to Director Mace's death. Daisy Johnson's goddamn LMD shot Glenn Talbot in the head! And to top it all off...your team let the GHOST RIDER go with the Darkhold! You let an enhanced being go with a dangerous 0-8-4! And this isn't even covering the Afterlife disaster and Daisy temporarily going rogue, which led to us losing Agent Lincoln Campbell. It's actually taking a lot of strength not to slap all of you for your incompetence."

Coulson stayed silent. He couldn't say anything without digging himself further into the hole. He knew there were more sides to the story but Lola wasn't having it. But at the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if she was right about S.H.I.E.L.D.. He looked around and saw everyone's crestfallen faces. Abigail's words were directed to him but everyone else was just as hurt. 

"So," Coulson started, "Okay, you got us. Where do we go from here?"

"You'll be assigned to different departments in S.W.O.R.D.. You can still meet and chat with each other if you want, we're not putting restraining orders on any of you. But none of you can work with each other. Now since our dear old Leopold James Fitz has been personally pulled in by our chief of security, we'll skip him for now. As for the rest of you...Elena Rodriguez, you'll be working in the docking area."

"Docking?" Elena asked, "So handling the ships and stuff? You're sure you don't need another field agent? I mean, I am an Inhuman-"

"-docking. That's where you are. Mr. MacKenzie, you've been assigned to the detention area." 

Mack nodded his head, pleasantly surprised at where he was placed. He was hoping to do something with repairs or at least a position that let him use tools but he was fine with working the detention area.

"Daisy Johnson...I have a position for you but we'll need to discuss that in private. Meet me in my office an hour from now, I'll explain then." 

"Why does it have to be so secretive?" Daisy said, suspicious of Abigail's intentions.

"You'll figure that out later. Because the project's details are sensitive, I can't just freely talk about it. Surely, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent like you would understand. Now, Phillie, purely because you have previous experience as the Director, you'll be joining my team of advisers."

"You have advisers?" Coulson asked, his eyebrow raised. 

"Helps with running S.W.O.R.D. if I have people to turn to in case I'm unsure of an executive decision I plan on making." 

"So basically, I'm a yes man?"

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Abigail said, grinning.

"Knowing you, it's definitely a bad thing," May said. 

Abigail scrunched her nose and sighed deeply. She turned and walked towards May, trying her best not to look irritated. "For May...I hear you like desk work. Isn't that right, Meli?" Abigail looked at Melinda with a grin. May just stared back at her with an emotionless expression. "Well...since you love desk work so much, you'll be assigned to our records department. Clearly, the perfect fit for a woman of your stature."

May didn't respond. She didn't flinch or react the whole time as she was sentenced to a menial position.

"Moving onto Miss Jemma Simmons, you'll be assigned to the medical bay as Doctor Orville Rorchester's intern.  Now, does anyone have any objections to where they have been placed?" 

"Wait," Jemma said, perplexed, "Intern? But I don't understand-"

"-after a thorough assessment of your abilities and mental state, my advisers deemed you unworthy of a leadership position, which I agreed with. So you'll be an intern for now and maybe after a few months, we can promote you."

Coulson watched as Jemma's face went red with anger. "Hold on, mental state?! Are you saying I'm unfit to have a leadership role in your _medical department_. I have two PhDs and plenty of experience on the field-"

"-which has obviously affected you for the worst. All that, coupled with your recent break-up with Doctor Leopold Fitz, is enough proof for me that you cannot be placed in a leadership position."

Jemma stopped, her mouth open as she tried to calm herself. Coulson and Daisy looked at each other, shocked. They didn't realize the two scientists had broken up.

"Jemma," Daisy said, choosing her words carefully, "What happened between you and Fitz-"

"-Leopold and Jemma had a bit of a spat a few months ago," Abigail Brand interrupted, "We watched the whole thing. Based on the months following the argument, that's how we decided Doctor Simmons here wouldn't be able to effectively lead S.W.O.R.D.'s medical department. It's quite a shame really, I was looking forward to seeing you as a major officer in S.W.O.R.D.."

"You can't possibly judge my entire character based on this," Jemma said, not even trying to hide her anger, "I can separate my personal life from my professional life! This is outrageous!"

"Is it really?" Abigail said with an eyebrow raised, "Prove to me that you can manage yourself by spending a few days as Doctor Rorchester's intern. If you can prove to him that you're just as capable as your team and dossier says you are, then I'll consider giving you a more...suitable position for a woman of your intelligence. But that's entirely depending on Doctor Rorchester's report and your willingness to play ball. Now you can either take the position or I'll throw you back in your cell indefinitely."

At that Jemma stepped back. _Smart move. It's harsh but fair,_ Coulson thought to himself.  

"Good," Abigail said, "Now, I know this may not be the most ideal situation for either of you. I know that all of you would want nothing more than to just work as one team, like how you've always been these past few years. But those days are done. Either get used to your new lives or get used to living in a cell. Welcome to S.W.O.R.D."

* * *

_MAY_

_Location: Cleared international pirates' hideout, downtown Manila, The Philippines_

_Time: Midnight_

_Year: 1986_

_"How much money did Colonel Stoner say this pile was worth again?"_

_"$100 million, all in gold bars."_

_Abigail Brand whistled after Melinda May told her the amount. As May holstered her pistol to signal for backup, Abigail began circling around the giant pile of gold bricks in the middle of the room._

_The mission took a few days of planning but it worked out beautifully in the end. No S.H.I.E.L.D. casualties, all the civilians were evacuated, the hostages extracted, the pirates were defeated and their loot was in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s possession. Coulson and his team were off doing one last sweep of the compound to make sure it was clear while May and Brand stayed with the prize._

_After May let command know that they were able to take control of the gold, she turned to Abigail, who was holding one of the bricks in her hand. She was eyeing it carefully, a certain greediness in her eyes. May felt uneasy seeing Abigail like this; she'd seen that look before, ever since she and Coulson started dating two years ago. Coulson refused to believe her but she could see right through Abigail's innocent-girl routine._

_"What are you doing with that brick, Abby?" May said. Abigail laughed as she grabbed another brick._

_"Relax Meli, I'm only looking around," Abigail said as she rubbed the sides of the second brick. Melinda could've sworn she was trying to see if they could fit in one of her pockets._

_"You can look at the bricks without having to pick them up."_

_"Gee, I didn't realize it was a crime to just pick up an item. Can you calm down, Meli? The mission is over."_

_"I'm not gonna ask you again. Put the bricks back. Now."_

_The two women paused. Melinda could feel the air go still from how tense the room got._ _At that, Abigail placed the bricks back and leaned on the wall of gold. She crossed her arms, visibly annoyed at Melinda. May didn't care._

_"If you wanna say something, just say it," Abigail spat out, "I'm not down with this passive aggressive nonsense."_

_"I'm not being passive aggressive but if you want me to be even more direct," Melinda said with a sternness that felt unnatural, "I don't like you near the gold bricks. And the reason is because I don't think you always have good intentions."_

_Abigail laughed, the disdain in her tone clear as day. "That's rich. You're always assuming the worst from me. Every mission, I swear to God, you always expect me to pull some borderline illegal shit. What do I have to do to get you to trust me?"_

_"How about you start by giving me reasons to trust you!"_

_Melinda knew she was getting angry but she couldn't help it. it's only been two years since she started working with Lola and yet she couldn't think of a less untrustworthy S.H.I.E.L.D. agent than her. She couldn't pin down exactly when she started to think of Abigail in this way but she could definitely list off the missions which "exposed" Abigail's true character. In great detail, Melinda remembered the times when Abigail bribed a government official in Sweden, when she planted fake evidence in order to arrest a rogue scientist in Thailand because all the real evidence had been destroyed, or when Abigail conned a Sokovian separatist group into giving up their funds and then sold them out to their government._

_Melinda knew better than to trust Abigail Brand._

_Abigail scoffed at Melinda's remark. She walked over to May, sliding her fingers on the bricks as she did._

_"You know that Colonel Stoner said that the $100 million value was just an estimate, right?" she said with a sneer, "We weren't exactly sure how much was actually in here so...do you really think command will be that angry if one or two bricks were missing?"_

_"See, this is why I can't trust you. Besides, all they have to do is count to notice something's wrong," May said defiantly._

_"What if they overestimated? What if...I were to take these two bricks," Abigail started, taking two bricks from the pile, "And keep them? Then back at base, they count the pile and we end up with $100 million. I would've done us a favor."_

_"And if you're wrong, which you likely will be, you'll get us both in trouble! Now put those damn bricks back."_

_"I'm surprised Meli. Aren't you the one who's always encouraging Phil to be a bit more 'exciting', more 'fun'?"_

_"There's a difference between fun and dangerous. Don't twist my words."_

_"And don't twist who I am. I could've stolen these bricks if I wanted to and claimed that we were off about how much this pile was worth...but I didn't. Because I'm not the crook you think I am."_

_"Do you really believe that? Do I have to remind you of all the things you did in these past two years-"_

_Just as Abigail was about to respond back, Coulson walked into the room, tucking away his assault rifle by the main door to the room._

_"_ _What's going on here, I heard yelling?" Coulson said._

_May was about to speak up when Abigail stepped up, sneakily placing the bricks back into the pile as she did._

_"Nothing babe," Abigail said, pulling Coulson in by his hips so he could face her, "Meli and I were just having a discussion about possible uses for the gold bricks that S.H.I.E.L.D. can do. I suggested that we use them as funds for better equipment, Meli wants to donate them to organizations that are friendly to S.H.I.E.L.D.. I disagreed and we had a little spat. Nothing that bad."_

_"Is that right, May?" Coulson asked. All Melinda wanted to do was tell him that Abigail planned to keep the bricks for herself. But she also knew that no matter what she said, Coulson wouldn't believe her. Why would he ever believe her over his beloved Lola?_

_"That's right," May said with a heavy heart._

_"Well, no reason to argue about that," Coulson said, grinning, "I'm pretty sure S.H.I.E.L.D. can use the gold in more than one way."_

_"That's a brilliant suggestion babe, I can't believe I didn't come up with that," Abigail said, giving Coulson a big kiss. May tried not to vomit. She hated the cutesy, innocent girl routine that Lola perfected around Coulson. He was too blind to see it but May knew it was an act the first time she saw Abigail do it._

_One of these days they'll fall apart, May thought to herself. And I'm gonna have front row seats when it happens._

* * *

FITZ

Location: Roxanne Minh Tran's workspace

 

"Close the doors."

Leo Fitz watched as Roxanne's security detail left the room. They closed the doors behind him and he heard a loud  _beep_ on the other side. He didn't ask but he had a feeling that the guards just soundproofed the room.  _What does she have in mind here?_

The security chief's workspace was what he expected. There were TVs everywhere that allowed her to monitor all parts of the Peak and an armory on the other side of the room. Just from where he was standing, he could see several assault rifles and pistols inside. He wondered if S.W.O.R.D. also took S.H.I.EL.D.'s ICERs. Unlike his cell, Roxanne's workspace was in the middle of the Peak, thus she didn't have a giant window that showed the vastness of space. Then again, it made sense not to place the security room on the edge of the base, otherwise it'd be the first thing that potential threats would target. 

"So," Roxanne said, breaking Fitz out of his concentration, "Welcome to my office. Better get used to this room because this is where you'll be assigned to from now on. I've talked to Commander Brand about it and she agrees. You're officially on S.W.O.R.D.'s security department."

"Hold on," Fitz said, surprised, "I'm assigned? Does that mean-"

"The rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. already got the message. S.H.I.E.L.D. is done, dead in the water unless a miracle happens. From now on, all of you are agents of S.W.O.R.D.. Woo." Roxanne made a waving motion at the _woo._ He couldn't tell if it was mocking him or if she was genuinely congratulating him.  

Fitz didn't know what to feel. At the moment, he didn't care about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s dissolution. He just wanted to make sure his friends were safe. That Jemma was safe. 

 _Jemma._ Fitz gritted his teeth in anger when he remembered how Roxanne floored Jemma with a thunderous gut punch. How she threatened her and humiliated her. He dug his nails into his palms to calm himself.

"So, when can I see my friends?" Fitz asked, doing a good job masking his anger.

"According to Abigail Brand, you're allowed to see them. So whenever I don't need you, you can hang out with them in the mess hall. But if you're thinking about possibly coming together as one unit, like how your team has operated these past few years, then the answer is no, you can't see them. Abigail separated you all for a reason, which is why you're the only one working with me." 

 _Security?_ _She needs me for security?_

Fitz wasn't buying her story. S.W.O.R.D. was a large organization so the idea that she specifically needed his engineering expertise and his expertise only didn't sit well with him. Surely there were other engineers on the base who were qualified to do this job. 

"Now, I've been doing this for years," Fitz started, "I'm not the naive rookie that I was years ago. I'm not stupid enough to believe that you needed me to fix your missile defense system. S.W.O.R.D. has their own engineers but you singled me out. You said you needed me for something any other engineer could do. So why am I really here?"

At that, Roxanne smiled. She looked...impressed.

"Perhaps I underestimated you, Leopold," she said as she took a seat, "You turned out to be more observant than I thought. Yes, that whole spiel I said about needing you to fix our defenses was a...well, it's not 100% a lie, we could really use a man of your stature in that regard. But I have a separate task for you. One that only you can do."

_Oh shite. I have a bad feeling about this._

"What is it?" Fitz asked, trying not to sound terrified.

Roxanne stood up. As she did, she grabbed a brochure from a nearby table. It had been flipped down so Fitz couldn't see what the brochure was for. As Roxanne approached, she turned it over to let him see. 

Stark Expo 2018. 

"Um...what is this?"

"Stark Expo 2018," Roxanne said matter-of-factly, "Surprisingly, they didn't wait another thirty or so years to host one. It's mainly because of the Avengers splitting up in 2016. CEO Pepper Potts made the call to bring back the Stark Expo in order to help win back the public's trust in superheroes. So yes, it's mainly a publicity stunt but she and Tony are treating it like an actual expo. A lot of big names will be there...Roxxon, Cross Technologies, OsCorp, and even Tony's old rivals, Hammer Industries. I'm assuming they buried the hatchet ever since Justin Hammer got locked up."

"Alright, this is great and all but why do you need me for this?" Fitz was starting to get irritated and it was showing in his voice. Luckily, she didn't seem to take offense at his tone. 

Roxanne placed the pamphlet down. Then, without a tinge of sarcasm or humor in her tone, she said, "I need a date for the Stark Expo."

_You've got to be kidding me. This has got to be a joke. This has GOT to be a JOKE._

Fitz couldn't even say anything. He just stared at Roxanne, hoping that Jemma would just pop out of the armory shouting, "It was just a prank!" 

But it wasn't a prank. This was real life. 

"So...let me get this straight," Fitz said, pinching his nose as he did, "You need me to be your date for the Stark Expo. That's the reason why you pulled me from my friends? That's the BIG reason why you needed me?"

"Well, that and another reason but I'll keep that to myself for now."

"Oh great, now you're keeping secrets from me?"

Roxanne sighed. She stepped away from him and grabbed a large, black binder that was near the main computer. She handed it to him and took a seat again.

"I don't expect you to like any of this but I expect you to follow along with it. Who knows, you might have some fun working with me."

"That I honestly doubt. Now you didn't answer me, why do you specifically need me?! And why do you need someone to go with you to the Stark Expo!? And why me?!"

"Because you're a cute boy and I like cute boys," Roxanne said jokingly. Fitz huffed out, not even trying to contain his anger anymore.

"But okay, I'll at least say this," Roxanne said in a more serious tone, "I'll explain all that you need for now once you know who I  _really_ am. Don't worry too much about why I specifically need you, worry more about what we're going to be doing. And that would be your cue to open the binder."

"Wait...who you _really_ are? Should I know you?"

"You're a Scotsman. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past ten years, you should've at least heard of me. Now open the binder."  

_What's she getting at here now?_

Fitz, hesitantly, opened the binder. In big, bolded letters, the first page inside the binder read, **"THE BLACK NIGHTINGALE"**.  

And then it hit him. He had heard of this name before. In fact, one of his favorite memories of Holden Radcliffe (before he went insane) was discussing the most recent Black Nightingale heist. 

The United Kingdom's most infamous thief and somewhat of a Robin Hood-type hero in Scotland. Steal from the rich, give to the poor and all the while, flaunt their Scottish pride at every heist they committed. 

And she was sitting in front of him. In just looking at those words, he knew exactly what he was being pulled into.

They were going to rob Tony Stark. 

* * *

MACK

Location: Docking area 

 

"That bad, huh?"

Mack chuckled as he finished telling Elena what Coulson had told him about Abigail. Just when he thought Bobbi and Hunter held the title of "most dysfunctional couple", here comes Coulson and Abigail Brand. By the end of Phil's story, Mack had just started laughing at how insane it was. Elena herself looked perplexed. 

"That bad, exactly," Mack said, "Though according to Coulson, Brand's a bit different than how she was in the eighties. Time changes people, you know?"

"Well, that makes two very dysfunctional couples on this base. There's them and Fitz and Simmons."

"Oh god, I forgot that you were bunked with them these past few months. Just how bad was that break-up?"

"Well, it wasn't physical, at least there's that. There's still love there but...there's a lot of pain. So really, these past few months was just lots of shouting, crying, talks of cottages, marriage, kids, and the Framework. And AIDA of course but that's a whole different discussion. I'm surprised I didn't drown in a puddle of tears."

Mack fell silent. He didn't want to but as soon as he heard "Framework", the memory of Hope came back. Her death in the real world. Her deletion from the Framework. It was still too fresh in his mind.

He turned back to Elena, who was watching him, concerned. She too sensed that he felt uncomfortable at just the mention of the word.

"Sorry," she said, rubbing Mack's back to comfort him, "It slipped. I know shouldn't mention anything from the Framework."

"Well, can't change what the damn place was called," he said, trying to lighten the mood, "Can't tiptoe around it since we can't just erase these past few months. All we can do is go forward. I mean...I'm not 100% but I'm doing better than I was when I first got out. Got you and Coulson to blame for that."  

"You're welcome, turtle man," Elena said with a grin. Mack wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in as the two of them watched a space shuttle enter the docking bay. 

"Any exciting detention area news?" Elena asked. 

"Well, some stupid S.W.O.R.D. agents got drunk and got placed in the holding cell, so nothing exciting," Mack said, "How about you, did we get any aliens visiting?"  

"Ha, very funny. And no, nothing interesting so far," Elena said, eyeing the space shuttle closely, "But I will say that when we broke off into our stations, Brand told me that there's a shuttle containing a special package that's on the way here."

"Special? What's special?"

"Apparently, they sent down one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s old containment pods. You know, the ones used to contain Inhumans. But something doesn't feel right about this."

"What do you mean?" Elena pushed Mack's arm off of her to face him directly.

"I understand that you need the pods to capture Inhumans," she said, "They're specifically designed to hold you. Unless you're Ghost Rider and can smash through the doors like glass, the pods can generally hold any Inhuman. But I've been hearing chatter about the person they're bringing in. This person...whoever it is, they aren't Inhuman."

 _Oh lord, what have you been hearing Elena?_ Mack took in a deep breath, looked around to make sure they weren't being spied on, and said, "What did you hear exactly?"

"S.W.O.R.D. picked up on this strange event in San Francisco. The team they sent down found a person on Alcatraz. She was lying in a crater that had apparently been hit by lightning...but the ground was cold. Now, no one has mentioned if she has powers but just from that alone, that person is definitely not an Inhuman. I heard no mentions of Terrigen mist or even the rocks that are left behind after a person goes through Terrigenesis. I'm telling you, Mack, S.W.O.R.D. doesn't know who they're bringing in. I think they're just assuming they're an Inhuman because they could be enhanced."

Mack took another deep breath, then looked down at the docking area to see what was happening. Several S.W.O.R.D. agents exited the space shuttle that had just landed and formed a perimeter around the shuttle. As Mack and Elena watched with bated breath, the lead agent, Agent V, stepped down...with a little girl in tow.

She was quite young. By just looking at her, Mack guessed she was either eleven, twelve, or thirteen (he was leaning on eleven as the right age). Her brown hair was short, curly and her skin was eerily smooth, as if she had never stepped out in the sun or had any blemishes in her entire life. The girl looked terrified as she was led away by Agent V.  

The anomaly. 

Mack turned to Elena, who looked back at him. 

"That's her," Elena said, "I'm sure of it."

"Well...she doesn't look threatening." 

"And that's probably what May thought at Bahrain."

"Hey, come on now, that was a different situation. Besides, we don't even know if this girl has any-"

_"So...much...pain."_

Mack stopped. Elena raised her eyebrows at him as Mack looked around the room. Where did that voice come from?

"Did you hear that?" Mack asked.

"Hear...what?"

"There was a voice just now-"

_"I'm...sorry...about what happened...to your daughter. So...much...pain. I need...someone to talk to...I need...to understand."_

Mack backed up into the wall. Elena, concerned, walked up to him and began inspecting his temples.

"Mack...Mack," she said, the concern coming out in her tone, "What's going on with you-"

"-it's the girl. I can hear her. She's talking to me. She's in my head." 

* * *

DAISY

Location: Abigail Brand's office 

 

One hour after being assigned to S.W.O.R.D. 

 

Daisy stepped inside Abigail Brand's office, making sure the door closed behind her so they could talk in private. She didn't like this one bit. It felt like walking into the lion's den and she was a nice, juicy sheep ready to be torn apart. Out of the entire group, she was the only one who's job position wasn't revealed. The possibilities as to what Abigail had in mind for her were racing through her head.

_Maybe she wants me to be the new face of S.W.O.R.D.? I mean, I was the face of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a bit, right after we stopped Eli Morrow. Or maybe she needs a human ambassador for some sort of alien council? This is S.W.O.R.D. so there's GOT to be some sort of weird, alien shit happening here. Or maybe-_

"Miss Johnson," Abigail said, breaking her out of her thoughts, "Nice to see you again."

"I just saw you like an hour ago," Daisy said, trying to tone down the sass.

"An hour ago, five minutes ago, seven years ago...it's always nice to see a friendly face again. Anyways, I know you're a bit confused. Why did I keep your new job title a secret when I told everyone else where they will be going? Well...this is a little embarrassing but out of your whole group, I really need your help."

_Oh, this just got interesting._

"My help," Daisy said with a grin, "You specifically need my help?"

"Unfortunately, I do. No need to get snippy about it."

"It's just, you have all of us here as low-level agents but now all of a sudden, you need me. Let me just say...really bad first impression. And I thought I was the queen at leaving terrible first impressions." 

"Mock me all you want but I'm sure you'll understand once I explain. Now, I hear you're especially close to the Ghost Rider, correct? Mr. Roberto Reyes, also known by his friends and family as 'Robbie'." 

Daisy raised an eyebrow.  _Hmm...so this is about Robbie. What do you have in mind here..._

"Yes, he and I were close," Daisy said, trying not to smile. She missed him. Ever since he left on his own, she couldn't help but wonder if it had been a mistake to just let him go without offering a place in S.H.I.E.L.D. for him. He had definitely earned a spot with all he's done for the group. Plus, she had been planning on reviving the Secret Warriors and was hoping Robbie would join.

Just thinking about the Secret Warriors made her heart ache. 

"How close were you two? I've read the reports...looks like you two were a bit chummy. Maybe there was something a bit more than just friendship?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. We were close friends, but nothing too close. Like, nothing romantic or sexual. I mean, he was kinda hot, literally and figuratively. Like, I was never super into the whole 'leather jacket wearing badass vigilante' trope but Robbie really made it work. But that doesn't mean we...fraternized? Though I admit that was a thought that did pop up in my head. At least more than once-"

"-seriously, Miss Johnson? Let's stay focused here."

"Sorry, please ignore anything I said in the past minute. I don't know why I just went off on a tangent there." If she could slap herself, she would.

"Anyways," Abigail said, "Like I said earlier...I'm not happy that S.H.I.E.L.D. let a dangerous enhanced being go, especially one who has murdered people in the past. And letting him leave with the Darkhold instead of storing it away for safekeeping was just plain foolish."

"You have no idea what we went through because of that god-forsaken book," Daisy said, trying to forgot her Framework experiences, "If we kept the Darkhold, we would've done more harm than good-"

"-that's not for you to decide. That wasn't for anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. to decide. Deciding where that book would've gone to should've been handled better. You could've at least contacted me, or Nick Fury! Instead, you and your team made an unwise decision that I'm now forced to deal with."

"Deal with? What the hell are you talking about-"

"-this is why I need you. You'll be part of the team to capture the Ghost Rider and the Darkhold. And then once we have them in custody, I'll transfer you to our Inhuman Affairs department."

Daisy couldn't help but laugh. _Capture Robbie Reyes? Are you kidding me? Good luck trying to keep him contained._

"Is there something funny here, Miss Johnson? Because I sure as hell am not laughing."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't keep him contained. We placed him in our best containment pod and he kicked the door down like it was paper. Hell, even _Hell_ couldn't keep him contained. So what the hell are you going to do? Unless your team are the Ghost Rider-Busters or Danny Phantom, then all you're gonna get are dead S.W.O.R.D. agents and a very pissed off Robbie."

Abigail smiled. "Oh, I don't plan on taking him by force. I've seen the footage, I know he could slaughter my troops easily. That's why you'll talk to him and convince him to turn himself in without a fight."

Daisy laughed again. But this time, she regretted doing so. As she finished laughing, two guards entered the room and whispered something into Abigail's ear. She smiled again and then walked over to a large TV screen.

"You're going to help us," Abigail said, "Because if you don't...we'll have to go with Plan B."

"Plan B? What the hell is Plan B-"

Abigail turned the screen on and, to Daisy's horror, she saw a passed out Gabriel Reyes. He was sleeping inside one of the bigger containment pods and had his wheelchair next to him.

_These assholes have gone too far._

"We picked him up alongside the little girl on Alcatraz," Abigail said matter-of-factly, "Getting Gabe was easy. You know the first thing he did was ask where Robbie was? He thought we were S.H.I.E.L.D. and that he was still working for you. Now, I heard that Mr. Reyes loved his brother but I'm starting to doubt that since he hasn't-"

"You bitch."

Daisy immediately raised her arm, ready to quake Abigail. As she did, her two guards raised their guns at her while Abigail raised her arm. Her fingertips lit up with fire, surprising Daisy.

_She's Inhuman. Okay...didn't see that coming._

"Well Daisy," Abigail said, trying to control herself, "You're not the only enhanced person on this station. Now, we can have a nice little fight here but I'm just letting you know right now, you can send all the quakes at me you want. But you're not going to free Gabe Reyes. How do you even know if he's on the station?"

"He's just a boy-"

"-I don't care. Help us get his older brother and he goes back to his normal life. Don't help us and we'll have to use him to lure Robbie. And you know that if we go with that option, things are bound to get messy. So...what's it gonna be."

Daisy really wanted to just send a wave out. She wanted to see this green-haired nightmare fly and leave the station with all of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Gabe in tow. 

But...she knew this wasn't the time and place to fight.  _Who knows, maybe Robbie could help us out if we get him involved._

And just like that, Daisy lowered her arm. Abigail smiled, blew out the fire on her fingers and walked over to her.

"We have work to do," she said, "Let's go get your supernatural boyfriend."

* * *

_ END-TAG _

_Location: Outside of Chingford United Reformed Church, London, United Kingdom_

_Time: 2:00 PM_

_Year: 2002 (15 years after Fitz was born)_

 

_"So, how's Leopold?"_

_Gwendolynn Fitz shifted a little as parishioners started walking out of the church. After making sure no one was listening, she turned back to Holden Radcliffe and said, "He's doing fine. He's a brilliant boy, maybe even more brilliant than me."_

_"Well, he definitely got that on your side of the family than his father's," Radcliffe said with a sneer, "Don't know what you ever saw in Alistair if I'm being honest."_

_"I don't remember either. Now, why exactly did you bring me out here because it sure as hell isn't to reminisce over my ex-husband and my son."_

_At that, Radcliffe dug into his pocket and pulled out a small notepad. He handed it to Gwendolynn, who took it with caution._

_"What's this?" Gwendolynn asked._

_"That, my old friend, holds all the answers to what we've been searching for. The Cosmic Cube! All the locations to the remaining shards in your hands!"_

_"That's great and all but unless you written the ways we can get the shards, then-"_

_"-that's all in the book as well. I did my research. We can finally do the things we wanted! Think about it Gwen! My Framework...your Supervillain Reform Program-"_

_"-okay, let's not get carried away with this. You did good, Holden, but it's one thing to put ideas on a notepad. It's quite another to put it in motion."_

_"But you are willing to do what's necessary, right? I'm just going to tell you right now that we're going to have to make a lot of deals to get what we want."_

_Gwen paused to consider her options. The Cosmic Cube was in her grasp...she just needed to put the plan in motion. Putting the book away in her back pocket, she turned to Radcliffe and said, "Assemble the group together. We'll need the whole gang to accomplish this."_

_Radcliffe chuckled and then said, "They're already assembled."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gasp* The plot thickens! Trust me when I say, these first few chapters will feel a little disconnected but there's a purpose for each story arc. Just gotta trust me on this, you know? 
> 
> Also, I know that Jemma and Robbie didn't have a POV section this chapter. They were going to have one but I decided to push them to chapter three (technically four) in order to give this chapter some breathing space. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about our favorite biochemist and supernatural anti-hero. 
> 
> Anyways, if you want, please leave a kudos and a comment!


	4. When Science and Magic Meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their disastrous first day in S.W.O.R.D., Fitz and Simmons struggle with their new positions. Mack and Yo-Yo meet the strange girl for the first time. Robbie Reyes' investigation into the cult he encountered takes a bizarre turn. And a new major threat looms in the background...

_ RADCLIFFE _

_Location: Undisclosed_

_Time: 9:00 PM_

_Year: December 2013_

 

_"Brain tumor."_

_That's all Holden Radcliffe could say to Gwendolynn Fitz as he poured sugar into his coffee. Right after the diagnosis, he had taken his girlfriend, Agnes Kitsworth, back home, the news of the tumor not fully registering for either of them. Part of him wanted to stay with her but the whole situation was overwhelming for both of them. So when he told Agnes he needed to step away for a bit, she understood and let him go. Radcliffe wanted to talk to someone about this and the first person who came to mind was Gwendolynn._

_"I'm sorry, Holden," Gwendolynn said as Radcliffe took a big gulp of his coffee, "Can't imagine how you feel right now."_

_"I wouldn't want you to know," Radcliffe said, "It's a terrible feeling."_

_"How long were you two dating again?"_

_"Two years. Last week was our two year anniversary. And then...this happens."_

_"If it's any consolation, the rest of the Enlightened Society wanted to tell you that they're sorry as well and-"_

_At that, Radcliffe put his coffee down, letting the mug hit the table hard, splashing some coffee on his hand. The Enlightened Society, he thought, to think there was a time I actually considered them my family!_

_"The Society's been dead to me for years, Gwen," Radcliffe said, "You can tell them I said that too, see if I care."_

_Gwen sighed as she approached him and patted him on his back._

_"I'm sorry," Radcliffe said, immediately regretting his words._

_"Don't be," Gwen answered back, "These past few years...really, these past few decades, has been rough on all of us. I don't blame you for leaving the Society. You fell in love, I get it. I've been there."_

_"It's just...do you remember that booklet I gave you years ago? You know, the one with all the locations to the Cosmic Cube shards."_

_"Yes, I still have it."_

_"It's been years and still...nothing to show for it all."_

_"Stealing or getting people to give up their piece of the Cosmic Cube was always going to be difficult. Why wouldn't it be?"_

_"How many friends did we lose in our quest to fix the Cube?"_

_Gwen shook her head. They were both thinking the same thing; too many._

_"We've lost so many people we loved due to that damn Cube," Radcliffe continued, "And we still only have one shard. I've lost years of my life over this project when I could've been working on what I wanted to work on."_

_"The Framework? You know that's an impossible task-"_

_"-so is rebuilding the Cube and curing Agnes' tumor."_

_Gwen stopped. Feeling bad, Radcliffe reached out and squeezed Gwen's shoulder._

_"Sorry," he said a second time, "I know I sound ungrateful. I know that I'm where I am because of the Society. But right now, I just need a friend to talk to. And you're the only one who came to mind. I don't want to talk about the Society or the Cube."_

_Gwen shook her head. "Of course, old friend."_

 

* * *

ROBBIE

Location: Rocco Silvio's home, Sioux City, Iowa

Time: Midnight 

 

It took all night but Robbie finally found a lead into the mysterious robbery that occurred in San Francisco. The bag containing the strange dust had no IDs inside and for some reason, most of the zealot robbers were missing theirs. But one, unfortunate soul did. 

Rocco Silvio, age 30, an Italian-American high school dropout whose short career as a bank robber ended after Robbie ran him over with the Hell Charger.  _Sorry...actually, no I'm not sorry._

Rocco's ID listed his address as 1408 Stanlee Avenue, Sioux City, Iowa 51105. Usually, he would've groaned at the fact that he had to go on a road trip just to investigate. But now, after a few quick spins of his chain, and he drove through a portal that led straight to Sioux City. If there was one thing that he could appreciate from his time to Hell, it was learning this trick.  

_THWAK!_

The front door to Rocco Silvio's home burst open as Robbie kicked it down.  _No alarm...so far so good...not that it would matter._ Robbie flicked the switch next to him and the lights to the home lit up. 

The first thing he noticed was the smell. It was an awful combination of rotten pizza, untouched dirty laundry, and air fresheners. It wasn't the worst thing he had ever smelled but it was definitely unpleasant. 

The second thing he noticed was how messy the place was. Robbie had taken only one step inside when he stepped on a rotten slice of pizza, which was on top of what looked to be a dead mouse.  _Oh, come on._ He kicked the piece away as he moved in, watching behind him to make sure he wasn't being followed. 

Most of the house had no leads to pick up on. The bedroom, bathroom, and guest rooms were all messy but after looking through the mess, Robbie found nothing that he could follow up on. Frustrated, Robbie tossed a book that he had picked up next to him, knocking over a vase on accident. The vase fell with a loud  _crack_ , scattering porcelain everywhere. When he stood up to clean up the mess, he saw a set of keys among the pieces.  _Hmm...should've checked the vase first._

Robbie grabbed the keys and began looking around for something to open. He was hoping for either a safe or a trap door that he had missed. When he found no safe hidden in the closets and cupboards, he began pulling the rugs from all of the rooms, hoping for a trap door.

In the guest room, he found it. Kneeling down, he used the biggest key on the keychain and, with a solid twist, the trap door opened. Robbie lifted it and moved down into the basement. 

No light switch.  _Good thing I'm my own light switch._ Robbie didn't light up completely but used just enough of the Rider to see in the dark basement. Surprisingly enough, the basement was the cleanest area of the house and from just what he was seeing, it was a normal set-up. There was a section dedicated to Rocco's computer, three book shelves next to it, and a...banner.

_What the holy hell is this?_

He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming because this whole situation didn't feel real. The first half of the banner was the Darkhold symbol. It was red and if he hadn't known that it was red paint, he would've guessed that it was drawn in blood due to the texture. But under the Darkhold symbol was a symbol he didn't recognize. Three big S's. One S was black, one S was yellow, and one S was red. The S's were tied together by a chain and when Robbie took a closer look, the chain was actually a phrase.

Reading it out loud, Robbie said, "Blessed are the ones who seek knowledge...they are the key to an Enlightened Society."  

Not taking any chances, he tore the banner down and wrapped it up. This was not something he was an expert on. Gabe and Lisa needed to see this. And if Gabe and Lisa couldn't decipher this banner, then he would have to ask S.H.I.E.L.D. for help. He needed someone with better investigative skills than him to decipher whatever the hell is it that he just took.

_Daisy._

He sighed when he thought back to his brief stint in S.H.I.E.L.D.. He knew he had to leave, his duties as the Rider compelled him. But part of him didn't want to leave. Even though he had to store the book away, part of him felt that he was making a mistake by leaving. These people weren't his "friends" but it was still disappointing to have to leave them.

Well...most of these feelings were towards Daisy. He just really missed hanging out with her, that's all. As a friend of course. Why would he miss her in any other way?  _Not like she was cute or anything...which she was. Okay, she was fine as hell but still-_

Robbie shook his head. He knew that if he continued that train of thought, he may not like the conclusion he comes upon. Have to stay focused on the investigation, that's what he told himself. 

Robbie, after one last sweep of the room, headed out with the banner in hand. He opened a portal back to L.A., got back in the Hell Charger, and drove through.

 

Location: Robbie's hideout, Los Angeles, California

Since he started his vigilante career as the Ghost Rider, he managed to set up his own, personal headquarters for several reason. He needed a place to store all the clues and leads he found while patrolling as the Rider and it was a place for his team to meet. His team being himself, his brother Gabe, and his new friend, Lisa Ortega. Lisa was a law school student attending UCLA and the only other person to know he was the Rider, besides S.H.I.E.L.D., though that was more of an oversight by Robbie. He had made the mistake of turning back into his human form in front of her after stopping several muggers trying to steal her purse. Luckily for him, she was a genius who could help him with deciphering the leads he found. 

A sidekick, he had told her. Lisa hated the term, which Robbie and Gabe would tease her about. 

At the moment, Lisa was sleeping at her desk while Gabe was out.  _Still at his academic decathlon retreat, gotta call him at some point to see how he's doing._ Robbie always worried about Gabe but he knew that if he pressed the issue, Gabe would get angry at him. He hated being treated like he couldn't do anything, which mainly came from the fact he was paralyzed from the waist down. Still, Robbie decided it wouldn't hurt to at least call him by tomorrow to see how he was doing. 

Remembering that he still had the investigation, Robbie lightly nudged Lisa, who mumbled something about antitrust laws and child support loopholes. He looked around her desk and saw that she was in the middle of studying. From the looks of it, she had gotten through at least 2/3 of her required reading.  _Damn girl...on your way to being a great lawyer._

Lisa slowly opened her eyes and slightly frowned upon seeing Robbie. "I was dreaming about the Darkhold," she mumbled.

"What happened?" Robbie asked.

"It turned out that the book was written by a lawyer and had the power to destroy the world through a subpoena. And the only way to save everyone was to issue a motion to dismiss admissions, which makes no sense but hey, it's a dream."

Robbie chuckled slightly as he handed the banner to her. Lisa rolled it open, putting on her thick, horn-rimmed glasses to inspect it.

"I found this in our buddy, Rocco Silvio's home. Looks like whoever this Father Valdez cat is, he knows what the Darkhold is."

"Sure looks like it," Lisa said. 

"But the bottom symbol...do you recognize it?" 

Lisa shook her head. "No, never seen it before. 'Blessed are the ones who seek knowledge...they are the key to an Enlightened Society'. 'Enlightened Society' is capitalized so I'm thinking that's what they're called? This is strange though."

"What's strange?"

"Well, the Darkhold is a book that draws power from the Dark Dimension. Plus, remember when we found out that it was written by Chthon, the demonic elder god? Point is, the Darkhold symbol brings up topics of magic, myth, devil worship, and so on. Now this bottom insignia makes reference to knowledge. That knowledge is the key to an 'Enlightened Society', which I'm assuming means one that is run by science and common sense. These are two, very different focuses."

"One is science, the other is magic," Robbie concluded, "Yeah, you may be on to something."

"What do you think, Robbie?"

"I think...maybe we're dealing with two organizations? We have Father Valdez's 'blood for the new girl', 'new life not from God' band of insane zealots and now we have this Enlightened Society."

"You don't think they're the same? Maybe they merged to form one super league of evil-doers."

"Could be. Could be that they're separate. Could be that these are all just crazy ramblings from some dude I killed. We'll need to look into this in the morning."

Lisa nodded her head, agreeing, as she rolled the banner up. As Robbie headed to bed, Lisa said, "So...gonna ask your S.H.I.E.L.D. buddies for their help on this?"

Robbie stopped. He then said, "Maybe. We'll see what we can do on our own for now. I mean, we haven't even told Gabe about this yet."

"I'll call Gabe in the morning, see if he knows anything about these symbols. In the meantime, consider getting S.H.I.E.L.D.'s help. We may need it since whoever these guys are may be too big of a threat for us to deal with."

"We'll see about that."

"Also, I'm mainly asking for you since...you know...if you talk to S.H.I.E.L.D. again, you can maybe ask that Daisy girl out on a date?"

 _Oh no, not this again_. Robbie laughed. Gabe had told Lisa about his friendship with Daisy Johnson. After seeing Quake on the news, Lisa's first thought was that she was Robbie's girlfriend. Since then, she's persisted that he ask Quake out.

"Just saying," Lisa continued, "You're always so glum and moody. Maybe dating a cute girl could help you lighten up a bit."

"You know I literally died, right? Can't help it if I'm a bit on the glum side."

"Just trying to be a good friend here, Rob. Alright, good night."

"Night". 

Lisa went back to sleep on the desk while Robbie hopped on the sofa. As he began to drift away, he noticed that Lisa's words weren't leaving his head. And for some reason...he was perfectly fine with that. 

* * *

FITZ

Location: Main lobby area 

 

"Fitz!"

Fitz felt like his ribs were crushed as Daisy Johnson ran to him, giving him a hug that nearly knocked him over.

"Hey there, Daisy," Fitz squeaked out. Daisy let him go and the two laughed, overly thrilled to see each other again.

"I haven't seen you since the diner!" Daisy said, "Jesus Christ, it's good to see you!"

"Same here."

"When Jemma told us what happened to you, we were all assuming the worst. How bad is that Roxanne person? Did she hurt you? What did she do?"

Daisy began inspecting him over, trying to see if he had any wounds. Fitz sighed as she did. It was a surprise to him too that he had come out of the situation relatively unscathed. 

He thought back to his previous conversation with Roxanne.  _The Black Nightingale._ If he was being honest with himself, he was a little bit starstruck when he learned that it was her. One of Scotland's most famed modern day figures, even if it's for something like robbery. Apparently, some time in 2010, she had been offered a deal by Commander Abigail Brand. Impressed by her skill, Abigail asked her if she wanted to join S.W.O.R.D.'s security team. Roxanne accepted the offer, quickly worked up the organization's ranks, and became chief of security in 2016.

Of course, the real reason Brand had brought her into S.W.O.R.D. was for her thief skills. Roxanne explained to him that from time to time, Brand would send her off on missions where she would steal something for S.W.O.R.D.. Since 2010, all of her heists had been done for S.W.O.R.D....except for the one she's planning to do on Tony Stark.

She had been coy when Fitz asked her what exactly they would be doing at Stark Expo 2018. All she told him was that there would be two parts; they would chat up a few Roxxon executives as a couple and then he would help her break into Stark Tower aka Avengers' Tower in order to retrieve a personal item of hers.

Fitz told her it was a bad idea. Roxanne said it was but it would be fun and she knew how to not get caught. In the end, Fitz realized he had no say in the matter and decided to just follow her lead. As the mission date grew near, Fitz found himself worrying more about the chatting-as-a-couple part of the mission over the actual break-in. Coming out of a long-term relationship with Jemma, he wasn't sure if he could easily slip back into that mode, and with another woman.

 _Jemma_. Fitz mentally sighed, realizing that Daisy would ask him about what happened between them. He was hoping that she wouldn't-

"Okay, looks like you're fine," Daisy said, finishing her inspection and breaking his concentration, "So...what is she doing with you?"

"Who's doing what to me?"

"Roxanne, Fitz. Why does she need you?"

"Um...this is going to sound bad but...that's classified."

Fitz saw Daisy's face drop. They were used to telling other people that their mission was classified. It felt wrong to tell that to each other.

"Sorry, Daisy," Fitz said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's okay, I get it. What's something non-classified that you can tell me that she's making you do?"

"Oh...um...I'm going to a tailor later on today. Roxanne said I need a suit for my mission."

"Really? Why do you need a suit?"

"Classified." Fitz scrunched his forehead in embarrassment. The mission really was classified but part of him wanted to see her reaction if he told her that he was basically taking S.W.O.R.D.'s chief of security out on a date to the Stark Expo. 

"Oh, come on!"

"Sorry! Here, let's change the subject. Where are you in S.W.O.R.D.? What did Miss Brand assign to you?"

"Um...oh dear, that's...uh...that's classified."

Fitz's face dropped upon hearing that. _Well, it's only fair that it is._

"Of course it is."

"I can say that I'm going back to Earth in the next few days. But what I'm doing on Earth is-"

"-classified, I get it." 

"Hey, you finished my sentence!"

"I know, you should be used to it by now because me and Jemma do it all the time."  _And there's the J word that I was hoping not to bring up._ Fitz had said Jemma's name jokingly but he saw Daisy's expression change like a switch. He took in a deep breath and sat down on a nearby bench. Daisy sat next to him. 

"Did she tell you what happened?" Fitz asked.

"Yeah," Daisy said, "Sorry that happened." 

"Well...it happened. Can't change the past."

"Are you two going to try to work things out?" At that, Fitz furrowed his brow, unsure how to answer her.  

"I want to," Fitz said, "But I think at the moment, I just need time to myself. After everything that happened in the Framework...Radcliffe...Director Mace...Ophelia-"

"-AIDA." Fitz cursed himself for saying Ophelia. He had technically spent an entire lifetime with her, which made saying 'Ophelia' much more easy than saying 'AIDA'. 

"Right, AIDA...it'd be a waste to just push away the ten years we had with each other. I still love Jemma...that hasn't changed. But...it's me, you know?"

"I get it. Trust me, I do. Just...promise me you won't isolate yourself like I did. You still have friends here, Fitz."

"Thanks. I'll talk to her eventually and work it out but for now...it's best if we kept our distance. If you see Jemma, please let her know that."

"I think she gets it."

"Good...that's, uh...that''s good to hear. So...what else did I miss?"

"Well, short answer is, I'm to be assigned a desk job after this mission I'm on wraps up. Speaking of desk jobs, May's back to working records and NOT punching dudes in the face. Coulson's one of Brand's advisers but since she hates being told no, he's basically a yes man. Mack's a detention guard but really, he does nothing all day. In fact, I caught him sleeping on the job. Elena's working at the docks for some reason. And Jemma's an intern at the medical department."

"Intern? But...she has two PhDs and field experience. She found the cure to the Chitauri virus!"

"That's what she said. But Brand said her break-up with you apparently messed her up so bad that she was unfit to have an officer position. Honestly, I don't believe it. She just said that as an excuse to push Jemma into a terrible job. So now, she's making coffee for S.W.O.R.D.'s medical staff instead of being a badass scientist. Coffee, Fitz. They're making her make coffee."

"That's outrageous! Jesus Christ, what else is happening!?"

"Well, funny you should say that. So I'm walking back from the mess hall when..."

 

 

 

From a distance, Roxanne Minh Tran watched as Daisy told Fitz everything that has happened since S.H.I.E.L.D. was released from custody. She wondered if she could walk in and join them. But at the risk of incurring Daisy's wrath, she stayed back. Then again, she doubted that Fitz wouldn't want to see her either, especially not after how she treated his ex. There was a sadness in her heart, knowing that Fitz probably hated her.

But what was depressing her even more was that he didn't remember her. 

* * *

_ FITZ _

_Location: The Fitz family home_

_Time: 3:00 AM_

_Year: 1998 (Leo Fitz is eleven years old)_

 

_"Leo, there you are!"_

_Fitz turned around saw his best friend, Roxy Sutherland, running towards him. He was supposed to be at her home, seeing her off as she and her mother moved out to join her father in Hong Kong. It was going to be the last time he would see her and although he knew this day was coming, he couldn't bring himself to see her leave._

_"Hey Roxy," he said, not even trying to work up the energy to hide his sadness. She sat down next to him. With the sudden silence, both of them became aware of the music coming out of Fitz's radio.["Flood" by Jars of Clay](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfAhpX_wIBk). The song only made things worse since it was their favorite song to listen to. She would usually start singing the first verse and he would join in on the chorus and from there, they would trade off on the verses. Now that she was leaving, he had no one to enjoy the song with. _

_"You weren't at my place," she said, "I thought...you know...you would want to see me off."_

_Fitz didn't respond. He could only look at her, letting his face say what he wanted to say. Roxanne sighed and took his hand in her hand._

_"I know...I don't want to leave either," she said, "But mother insists. She said that father really wants us to live with him. She's going all out with this. I can't even keep my last name, she wants me to change it to my dad's."_

_"So...you're not going to be Roxanne Sutherland anymore?"_

_"Nope...leaving Glasgow as 'Roxanne Sutherland', entering Hong Kong as 'Roxanne Minh Tran'. It's going to be really hard remembering that. Hope I don't spell my name wrong at school."_

_"I prefer your current last name."_

_"That's because you knew me by that name. I don't know...I like how it sounds that way." Fitz huffed out, annoyed. She was always going to be 'Roxanne Sutherland' to him._

_After a few more moments of silence, Roxanne said, "I'm not asking for much here, Leo. This is the last day I'll be in Glasgow for a while...I may never see you again. So if anything...I want to see my best friend before I go."_

_"I'm sorry, Roxy. I just...after dad left last year...I just...it's too soon." Fitz pushed back the tears that were coming. It was insanely cruel for the world to do this to him. He never liked his dad but he couldn't deny that it hurt to see him leave. And almost one year later, he was losing his best friend. It was just him and his mom now. He began wondering if the world had it out for him, that the universe had cursed him with exceptionally bad luck._

_Roxanne laid her head down on his shoulder. "I know, I know. I really don't wanna go either. But...I have to. For me, can you at least...see me off? I don't want my last memory of you being us sitting and crying." Fitz turned to her and saw that she was crying. She was right, he didn't want this to be their last memory. At that, he stood up and helped her to her feet as well._

_As they walked towards the front door, Roxanne stopped and turned around._ _Fitz was about to ask what she was doing when she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into his kitchen. What did she have planned here, he thought._

_"Hey, we need to go!" Fitz cried out, "I don't think your mom's gonna like us stalling!"_

_"Hold on, Leo," she said, excitedly, "There's something I've always wanted to do and this'll be my only chance to do so!"_

_She laughed as she pulled him into the doorway separating the living room and kitchen. Fitz laughed in response but he had no idea what was happening._

_"Okay Leo, remember last Christmas when Mr. McGillicutty brought the mistletoe to class?" she said with a grin. Fitz pretended to vomit when he thought back to that day. Their teacher had brought in a mistletoe on the day before Christmas break. Their classmates and close friends Llewyn Cobb and Samantha Granaire had accidentally gotten under it and Samantha surprised Llewyn with a kiss. Fitz and Roxanne laughed when they saw the kiss and since then, they had teased their friends every time someone brought up the mistletoe._

_"Yeah, it was pretty gross," Fitz said jokingly._

_"How is it gross!? I thought it was sweet."_

_"You made fun of them too!"_

_"Just because I made fun of them doesn't mean I thought it was gross!"_

_"Okay, okay, okay, what does that have to do with right now?"_

_Roxanne smiled as she pointed up. Fitz did and saw the mistletoe that his mother had nailed to the ceiling for Christmas five years ago. He was surprised that it was never taken down. Just as he was about to ask why Roxanne pointed at the mistletoe, she leaned in and kissed him on the lips. It was short but for some reason, it felt like his body had been injected with adrenaline. His whole face went red, his knees felt like jello, and he made a squeaking sound that reminded him of a bird call. Roxanne's face had also gone red but she was handling herself far better than Fitz was._

_His first kiss (and her first kiss). Now it made sense why she pointed at the mistletoe._

_"Merry Christmas Leo," she chirped._

_"Oh...uh...um...yeah, that was...wow, I...um...yeah...happy Christmas, I mean...merry Christmas Roxy. I mean, it's not Christmas, why did I say it was Christmas, oh my god, you just kissed me and it wasn't on the cheek, you went straight for my lips, oh god, I feel like my legs are gonna give way."_

_Roxanne laughed and after getting a hold of himself, Fitz laughed as well._

 

_Location: Roxanne's (soon-to-be-former) home, a few houses down from where Fitz lives_

_One last hug and high-five later, Roxanne entered her mother's car. She waved goodbye to Fitz as his mother and her mother approached each other. Fitz watched as his mom gave one last hug to her friend. He had forgotten that his mom was just as close to Roxanne's family as he was. He wasn't the only one losing their best friend today._

_"Take care of yourself, Lydia," Gwendolynn Fitz said, letting go of the hug, "Tell your husband I said hi and that I'm already missing you all."_

_"I will, Gwendolynn," Lydia Sutherland said, "It's just hitting me now that this is it. Goodbye Glasgow."_

_"Let's pray that this won't be the last time we see each other."_

_"Hopefully not. Thank you for everything. For watching Roxanne, for helping my family when we were suffering, for-"_

_"-Lydia, it's alright. You don't have to go into too many details."_

_"Sorry dear. Anyways...I've got a plane to catch. Goodbye old friend. And goodbye to you, Leopold."_

_Fitz waved one last time to Lydia Sutherland as she walked away to enter the driver's seat._

_Before she did, she gave one last look to Gwen and said, "Blessed are the ones who seek knowledge."_

_Fitz raised his eyebrows, confused. Before he could ask his mom what Lydia meant, Gwen said, "They are the key to an Enlightened Society."_

_Okay, that was strange, Fitz thought to himself. Looking closer, he then noticed that Lydia was wearing the same necklace that his mother was wearing right now. It was silver with three S's at the center. One black, one yellow, and one red._

_Maybe a friendship bracelet? Fitz decided to not pursue that thought. Instead, he just watched as Lydia started the car and drove away. And that was the last time he would ever talk to Roxanne. His best friend...and now, his first kiss._

* * *

MACK

Location: Inhuman Containment Pod containing the strange girl 

It had been a few hours since Mack's telepathic conversation with the girl found on Alcatraz. He and Elena had immediately gone to the Inhuman containment pod holding the girl in order to confront her but were stopped by a security detail led by Agent V. They had told them the situation but were told to come back after S.W.O.R.D. ran their medical tests on the girl. This led to Mack and Elena seeking Jemma for help.  

"I'm sorry guys," she had told them as she poured coffee beans into the medical bay's personal espresso machine, "I'm not even allowed to hold a scalpel, I don't think I'd be much help here. But I can definitely ask the staff here to see if they'll let you in."

Fortunately, Jemma had come through for them and now, Mack, Elena, Jemma, and Doctor Connor Collins were standing in front of the pod containing the girl. 

"No funny business," Doctor Collins said, "I'm risking a lot to let you three in here."

"We promise," Mack said, "I just need a few minutes to talk to the girl. Then we'll be out of your sight."

"You're lucky you're friends with Doctor Simmons here. Her paper on revolutionary new forms of antiserums saved my ass in med school. I wouldn't stick my neck out for anyone else."

"Thank you, Connor," Jemma said. Connor nodded and left the room. He flashed "10" at them with his fingers, indicating they only had ten minutes with the girl before they would be kicked out.  _Plenty of time._ Mack opened the doors and all three of them stepped inside. 

The little girl was sitting on her bed, reading one of the books provided to her by the staff.  _"The Terminal Man" by Michael Crichton. Hmm...that's pretty advanced for her-_

"It's not too hard to read, Mr. MacKenzie," the girl said out loud, not even looking up once. Jemma and Elena looked to each other, surprised.

"You heard that?" Mack asked. 

"Yes," she said, this time looking up, "I hear everyone around me. There's too many voices sometimes. I know that Abigail Brand is planning on visiting Melinda May in order to humiliate her. I know that Leo Fitz still feels guilty about what happened in the Framework. I know that Elena Rodriguez is wondering what she'll have for breakfast later on today. And I know that Jemma Simmons is angry at being treated like a low-level support staff member and at Leo Fitz for ending their relationship."

Jemma winced and immediately turned to leave the room.

"Jem, wait," Mack started. She didn't stop to listen and the doors to the containment pod closed behind her.

Elena looked at Mack and said, "Okay...so you were right when you said she could read thoughts."

"Is that all you can do?" Mack asked the little girl. She just shrugged and put her book down. 

"I think so," she said, "I don't really know how to do anything else. Doctor Rorchester said he would run my blood samples to see what's happening with me. I didn't like him taking my blood. The needle hurt." 

"So right now, all you can do is read people's minds?" Mack wasn't sure what he was asking here. He just wanted to know what he was dealing with. 

The girl shrugged. "Yes. And I know it's bad. I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me, I won't do it again." The girl curled up, bringing her knees to her face, as if she was expecting Mack and Elena to blow up in anger. Mack couldn't help but feel bad for her.  _Obviously, whoever's been taking care of this girl is doing a terrible job. She can barely look at us since she thinks she's in trouble._

"You're not in trouble, sweetie," Elena said. On instinct, Elena walked over to the girl. Mack reached out to pull Elena away but it was too late. She sat down next to the girl and put her arms around her as if she were the girl's mom. 

"I don't want to hear anymore but the voices won't go away," the girl continued, "I can't sleep because it's too loud. I don't even know what I'm reading because the voices get in the way of the words." As she continued talking, her tone grew more frantic and rushed. Her breath started to grow short and Mack realized she was going to have a panic attack. Immediately, he knelt down and took her hands in his hands. 

"Hey, hey, easy," Mack said, "Like Elena said, you're not in trouble. Just take a deep breath."

The girl took a quick breath, way too quick for her own good.

"Easy now," Mack continued, "Release that breath and take another one...but slower this time."

"What are we doing?"

"Just breathing. Trust me, it helps." 

It took about five minutes for Mack to get the girl to relax, running through the same breathing exercises that Coulson had him do when he was suffering from panic attacks. When she finally relaxed, Mack said, "Okay...are you feeling better?"

The little girl nodded. She smiled and then asked, "Are you...gifted too?"

 _Hmm...didn't expect that question._ Mack raised his eyebrows, confused. "Um...no. Why do you ask?"

"Because the voices are quieter," she said with a little smile, "I can go to sleep now. Thank you."

"Um...you're welcome."

"You should go now. I don't want you and Miss Rodriguez to be in trouble. That would not be a good thing and Doctor Rorchester might poke me with another needle." 

The doors to the room opened and Mack and Elena stood up, hoping it was either Connor or Jemma and not someone like Abigail. Much to their surprise, no one was there. Mack looked back at the girl, who smiled back at him.

_"Did...did you just open that door with your mind?" Mack thought._

_"Yes, yes I did," the girl answered in his head, "I didn't know I could do that until you and Elena came along. Thank you."_

"You're welcome...again," Mack said out loud.

"I didn't do anything...oh wait, were you two having a telepathic conversation?" Elena put her hands on her hips, still not able to wrap around the fact that this little girl was doing all these things. 

"I'm sorry Miss Rodriguez," the girl said, "I'll try to stay out of your heads in the future. I know it's rude."

Mack nodded his head and he and Elena headed out of the pod. Before they left completely, the girl said, "Will I see you two again?"

"Maybe," Mack quickly answered, "The people around here aren't exactly friendly to us."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I really like you and Elena, I want to see you two again. Maybe we can read some of my books together?"

Elena smiled at that while Mack stayed cautious. There was something about this girl that seemed off to him but he didn't know what exactly it was that was bothering him. He made a quick mental note to follow up with Abigail on this. 

"We'll see what we can do...um...this is a little embarrassing but we never asked for your name."

After a short pause, the girl said, "I don't know if I have a name. But I think it could be...Kobik?"

"Why Kobik?"

"It was the first thing I heard before S.W.O.R.D. came to pick me up. I don't know who said it but I guess if you need a name for me to make it easier for everyone, you can call me Kobik."

"Okay...Kobik," Mack said with a grin, "We'll see you when we see you."

Kobik smiled at that and waved goodbye as Mack and Elena walked out of the pod. Kobik then used her powers to lock the doors behind them.

As Mack and Elena walked away from the pod, Mack realized what it was that was bothering him. Elena had been right when she told him the girl wasn't an Inhuman. The whole time they were inside the pod, the girl was able to use her powers with ease.

So if she wasn't Inhuman... _then what the hell is she?_  

 

* * *

JEMMA

Location: Medical Bay break room 

 

"Telepathic? Incredible!"

Jemma ate a big chunk of her salad after she finished telling Connor what happened in the Inhuman containment pod. While the two of them wouldn't be involved in what happens next for the little girl, she still had to tell her superiors about what happened so they knew what they were dealing with. Her encounter with the girl still haunted her and she tried her best not to think back to that moment.

_Angry that I'm basically running errands for people and that I was dumped? Of course I am! She didn't have to air it out to Mack and Elena!_

Jemma took another big bite of salad and at this point, she was basically stress eating. While she was indeed angry over her new position in S.W.O.R.D., she didn't want to believe she was actually angry at Fitz for ending their relationship. She told herself that he needed space but she couldn't help but feel that they could've worked their problems out together. It was very much in the back of her mind but she couldn't deny that Fitz ending their partnership of over ten years had hurt, even if he didn't mean to hurt her. 

That being said, the little girl didn't have to say it out loud.

"Have you ever come across a situation like this?" Connor asked, "This is...I still can't wrap my head around it!"

"Eh...I've seen some strange things in my life. Just add it to the list."

"Well...not everyone's life is as exciting as yours, Doctor Simmons." 

Simmons rolled her eyes as she finished her salad and tossed the container away.  _Well...back to doing pointless errands for Doctor Rorchester. I'm not even a S.W.O.R.D. agent at this point, I'm more like a S.W.O.R.D. part-time employee with crappy benefits._

As she left the break room, she heard loud footsteps coming behind her. Instinctively, she turned around, ready to attack whoever was running towards her when she saw that it was Coulson. He looked like he had seen a monster and was running to warn her about it. 

"Jemma, there you are!" he said, stopping to take a breath, "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Wait, why? Did something happen? Did the girl get loose? Are Fitz and Daisy okay?!"

"What? What girl?"

"Never mind, that's not important."

"And they're fine, don't worry about them. I just saw them talking a while ago. No, it's something else. It's your family!" 

 _My family? What the hell are you talking about Coulson?_ Perplexed, Jemma followed Coulson as he led her to the lobby. There was an area dedicated to showing world events as they unfold. Like an airport, this area comprised of several screens, each one focused on a different country. Coulson and Jemma approached the screen marked for the United Kingdom and Coulson touched it in order to bring up the news concerning Simmons' family.

Truthfully, Jemma was expecting bad news since that's what she usually received in S.H.I.E.L.D.. To her surprise, the main headline read 'THE SIMMONS FAMILY PLEDGES SUPPORT TO THE INHUMAN COMMUNITY, ROXXON FOLLOWS SUIT'. 

 _Of course Roxxon would follow suit, my family IS Roxxon._ Jemma didn't really understand differentiating her family from Roxxon, as if they weren't major executives in the company. In fact, in the upper-class social circles that her family was part of (and she hated), many of the socialites she met all said that the Simmons family were the face of Roxxon. The fact that their daughter has two PhDs and their son is on his way to becoming CEO only cemented the Simmons' family already-impressive legacy. 

The main image was her older brother, Andrew Simmons, shaking hands with another man. Jemma didn't recognize the man so she read out the caption to see who he was.

"Blackagar...Boltagon," she said, "Well, that's quite the name."

"We just call him 'Black Bolt' for short," Coulson said, "Point is, this may or may not be a good thing."

"Coulson, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about so please, explain to me in great detail why I should be concerned with my older brother pledging support to the Inhumans. Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is, it's just...that man he's shaking hands with. That's Black Bolt of the Inhuman Royal Family." Coulson gave her a look, expecting that Jemma would gasp in horror at the mere mentioning of the names. 

Instead, Jemma said, "Am I supposed to know who or what that is?"

"Okay...long story short, the Royal Family rules over an entire society of Inhumans in a city called Attilan. Now, I've had one major encounter with these people and...well, let's just say, they weren't too friendly to S.H.I.E.L.D.. Black Bolt nearly killed me at one point."

 _Killed? Why the hell would he do that?_ "What exactly happened between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Attilan?"

Coulson's forehead scrunched a little as he thought back to that moment. He didn't have to say anything and Jemma already knew it was a bad memory.

"Well," Coulson began, "It's complicated. This happened in 2000 I believe. I was no rookie but I felt like one when we stumbled upon Attilan. The city changes positions for several reasons and for this particular year, it had moved to the middle of the Indian Ocean. May and I went to investigate under the orders of then-S.H.I.E.L.D. Director George Washington Bridge."

"Wait, Nick Fury wasn't Director?"

"G.W. took over as the temporary Director from 1999 to 2001 because Fury was involved in stopping the Hatut Zeraze's military coup in Wakanda. But that's a long, long, LONG story that you shouldn't worry too much about."

"How come this is the first time I've heard about G.W.? Does S.H.I.E.L.D. not like him?"

Coulson laughed. "That, Jemma, is the biggest understatement of the century. 1999 to 2001 were some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s worst years. Imagine if Stannis Baratheon took over the Iron Throne. The guy was by-the-book, hard line, and borderline fascist. How the entire organization was organized was changed for the worse and the turnover rate spiked. Even today, Fury says he screwed up when he handed the keys over to that guy. He said that Maria Hill would've been a better Director but he said the reason why she wasn't picked was that she was too young."

"What happened to him?"

"He was kicked out once Fury came back. Never seen or heard from the guy since then. Good riddance though-"

"-you know you may as well have jinxed us, right? Every time someone says 'we haven't seen this or that person in years', that person turns up in the next few weeks."

Coulson just stared at Jemma, visibly annoyed. "Point being," he said, trying to ignore the previous statement, "You need to know what happened at Attilan. Bridge ordered for me, May, and a few others to investigate the city since it had shown up under the radar. I don't know how they moved their entire city but after seeing Robbie Reyes literally whip up a portal to another dimension, I'm starting to see how they could've done it. Anyways, we arrive at the city and we're greeted by the Inhuman Royal Family. Things are fine at first and they even invite us for a celebratory feast. But that's when G.W. learned about the Alpha Primitives."

"Again, not an Inhuman expert here."

"Let me finish the story, damn it. So, the Alpha Primitives were basically a slave race serving the Inhuman Royal Family. G.W. was pissed and told Black Bolt to emancipate the Alpha Primitives immediately. Black Bolt refused and threatened all of us. I told G.W. to let it go since we were outsiders to Attilan but he didn't listen. He ordered a  _full-scale attack_ on the Inhuman Royal Family and the family retaliated by holding me hostage and threatening to kill me."

"Jesus...how did it end?"

"Stalemate. I managed to escape but by the time I did, the fighting had stopped and neither side had any big victories. S.H.I.E.L.D. agreed to retreat while Attilan disappeared from the Indian Ocean. We haven't heard of the Inhuman Royal Family until just last year, when they arrived in Hawaii. Are you starting to see why I'm concerned? How the hell is your brother shaking hands with that guy!?"

It started dawning on Jemma what Coulson's concern was. Feeling overwhelmed, she took a step back and said, "I'll look into this and see if I can contact my brother."

"We're on lockdown. Unless if you're Fitz or Daisy, we're not allowed to leave the base."

"I'll figure something out. Just give me time." 

* * *

_JEMMA_

_Location: A few miles from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy_

_Time: 10:00 PM_

_Year: 2004 (Fitz and Simmons' first year in the Academy)_

 

_"Hold on, Simmons, you're running too fast!"_

_Jemma huffed as Fitz caught up to her, stopping to catch his breath. She wasn't about to miss their induction into the Enlightened Society and even though Fitz was the closest to a best friend she had in the Academy, she wasn't going to stop for him._

_The Enlightened Society! It was a well-known urban legend among the Academy students that to receive an invitation into the Enlightened Society meant they saw greatness in you. They saw your potential when it came to science and technology and invitations only went out to the best and brightest. The day she and Fitz received their invitations into the Enlightened Society was quite possibly the happiest day of her life._

_Fitz had his doubts. Jemma remembered how he had been worried about joining an underground community of scientists whose membership was extremely exclusive. But Jemma had waved off his concerns as just nerves. Deep down, she felt that he was just as excited to join the Enlightened Society as she was._

_Not that she thought he was entirely wrong. She did have her fears about meeting the members of the Enlightened Society but the prospect of joining them overridden those feelings._

_As they approached the location written on their invitation, Fitz stopped when he saw what it was. It was a stairway going underground. When Jemma had looked up the location, she saw that it was an abandoned subway station. Interesting choice of venue but it made sense for a mysterious group like the Enlightened Society to meet in a place like this._

_"Come on, Fitz!" Jemma chirped. He shook his head, pointing at the entrance._

_"Jemma, do you see that?" he said, exasperated, "You don't get any bad vibes just from looking at that?"  
_

_"I already told you, it's an abandoned subway station. There's been no reported crimes committed here and we're in a relatively safe area of the city!"_

_"But still! Why are we meeting here? Why couldn't we be meeting at some restaurant or something?"_

_"The Enlightened Society is a prestigious community whose membership is exclusive and chooses to hide from the public. Why would a group that wants to preserve their privacy meet in a public place?"  
_

_"Simmons...just hear me out. That's an ABANDONED subway station! I'm just saying, maybe we should think this through."_

_"I'm surprised at you, Fitz. I thought you wanted to do this with me?"_

_"No, I wanted to work on our design for the D.W.A.R.F.s. You're the one who wanted to join this Illuminati, Bohemian Grove-esque community!"_

_"Fitz, we've made it this far, we can't just-"_

_Just then, they heard a loud noise coming from below, followed by what sounded like footsteps coming their way. Immediately, Fitz grabbed Simmons by her hand and hid behind the closest car to them. Jemma pulled his hand off, annoyed at what he was doing._

_"Fitz, this is silly," Jemma whispered, "Why are we hiding when they're expecting us to arrive?"_

_"Let's just see who we're dealing with."_

_A bald man walked up from the stairs. With him were two other recruits and...a person being carried by the both of them. Simmons stifled a gasp as the two recruits laid the person down. It was a girl and judging by the looks of it, she was knocked out._

_"How could you two let this happen" the bald man asked, "Can't do anything right."_

_"We thought they were Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz," one of the recruits said, "It looks like they copied the invitations we sent out. Or at least made a forgery of them."_

_"You think the Academy's gonna notice if Marcy Tallman and Barney Langford go missing?" the other recruit asked, "I mean...they were just average students-"  
_

_"Of course they'll notice! They're still enrolled students, idiot."_

_Fitz and Simmons looked at each other, shocked. They knew those names. Marcy was living in the same dorm as Jemma while Barney hung out with Fitz's roommate. They didn't know that Marcy and Barney had forged their invitations to the Enlightened Society._

_"What should we do with them, sir?" the first recruit asked._

_"Take the girl and the boy to the hospital," the bald man said, "When the staff asks what happened, say they got in a car crash and that you and Victor were innocent bystanders who pulled them to safety. I'll get Kiril to crash the girl's car, make it look authentic. Make sure you go to St. Mary's Hospital since the administrator there is one of our sisters."_

_"Will do, sir."_

_At that, the bald man hugged both recruits. Then, out loud, he said, "Blessed are the ones who seek knowledge."_

_"They are the key to an Enlightened Society," the recruits responded. The bald man went back downstairs while the two recruits hoisted Marcy and took her to their car._

_Simmons couldn't believe what was happening. They knocked out Marcy and Barney! And all they did was use their identities. True, it was a crime but the response was too extreme. What kind of organization is this?!_

_Wanting to leave, Simmons tugged on Fitz's shirt. When he refused to move from his spot, Jemma looked at him directly, hoping he would get the hint that she wanted to go._

_"Fitz," she whispered aggressively, "We need to leave. Now."_

_"Oh, now you wanna leave?"_

_"This is not the time to get snippy with me! Let's go."_

_She tugged at him again but he was lost in a train of thought._

_"'Blessed are the ones who seek knowledge...they are the key to an Enlightened Society'," Fitz mumbled to himself, "I've heard that phrase before. When I was ten or eleven."_

_"Really? Where did you hear it? Who said it?"_

_Fitz looked stunned. He then turned to Jemma and said, "That was the last thing my mom said to her friend before she moved away from Scotland."_

_"What does that mean? Is she part of the Enlightened Society?"_

_"I don't know!"_

_"Well...damn it. We need to discuss this another time. Let's head back to the dorm for now."_

_Fitz nodded his head and the two of them took off down the street. They didn't look back once as they fled from the scene._

 

_If they would've, they would've noticed Gwendolynn Fitz watching them as they ran from the scene. She smiled before turning to the bald man and saying, "Let them run...they'll join in due time."_

 

* * *

ROBBIE

Location: Robbie Reyes' hideout, Los Angeles, California

Time: Midnight 

Date: One week after S.H.I.E.L.D. was integrated into S.W.O.R.D. 

 

Robbie and Lisa arrived back at the hideout after another day of following leads to Gabe Reyes' disappearance. A week ago, Lisa had made the call to Gabe's academic decathlon retreat and, much to her surprise, learned that the staff thought he had been 'picked up' by Robbie. For the next few days, Robbie and Lisa scoured the city, searching for clues as to where he was taken.

Robbie's first instinct was to go to S.H.I.E.L.D. but all that was left of the organization were abandoned, empty buildings. He had no idea where the others were and although he could open a portal to anywhere in the universe, he needed to know where he was going. 

That's why when Robbie entered the hideout, he was nearly floored when he saw Daisy Johnson sitting on the couch, reading one of Lisa's magazines.

"Jesus Christ, girl," Robbie said, "You scared the hell out of me."

"You saying that sounds wrong since you literally have the devil inside of you," Daisy joked, "How've you been, Robbie?"

Without hesitating, he said, "Trying to find you and the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Gabe's missing. And I know he wasn't kidnapped by some rival gang or something because I made sure of it. You better start talking because if this is some secret spy agency bullshit, I need to know-"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is dead, Robbie." Robbie stopped as Daisy stood up. She was in her field uniform but Robbie immediately noticed that she had a different insignia on her armband.

S.W.O.R.D.

"So...you're a S.W.O.R.D. agent now? What, did S.H.I.E.L.D. go under again or something?"

"It did. Director Mace died, robo-me shot a military officer in the face, Fitz helped develop the LMDs, and Radcliffe, who we should've locked away, created the Framework...with an item that was in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s possession. So pretty much, we screwed up big time. S.W.O.R.D. had to come in and merge us with them just to save us from a life sentence."

"How's it turning out for all of you?"

Daisy nodded her head for 'no'. "Not too good. Jemma's making coffee. Two PhDs, plus plenty of field experience and yet she's basically S.W.O.R.D.'s barista. I'd make a 'Star Wars', 'Star Trek', 'Star Bucks' joke here but honestly, I'm too drained to even be funny. That's how bad it is."

"Damn."

Robbie sighed. He turned to Lisa, who had been standing in the doorway the whole time, unsure of what to do. Daisy noticed and Lisa awkwardly waved hello to her. 

"That your girlfriend?" Daisy asked. Robbie burst out laughing while Lisa rolled her eyes at him. 

"Oh, no no no no no!" Lisa stammered out, "My name is Lisa Ortega, I'm one of Robbie's friends-"

"-she's my sidekick," Robbie said with a grin. 

"I prefer the term 'the brains of Team Rider', thank you very much." 

"Team Rider?" Daisy said, trying to stifle a chuckle, "How long did it take for you to come up with that name?" 

"The name is still in the works and it's just me, Lisa, and Gabe," Robbie said, "We hunt supernatural threats. Thinking about turning this into a business, you know? Get paid to fight ghosts."

Upon hearing Gabe's name, Daisy frowned. She didn't have to say anything, her face told everything that Robbie needed to know. Suddenly, it all made sense. Gabe's disappearance, Daisy's sudden reappearance. 

_S.W.O.R.D. has my brother._

"So...I'm gonna take a wild guess here. S.W.O.R.D. has Gabe, right?"

Daisy reluctantly nodded her head. 

"And...these people you're working for...they have him because they want to lock me away, right? Because I took the Darkhold and I'm a dangerous enhanced person. Also, because I'm unregistered with the Sokovian Accords, something like that?"

"Something like that," Daisy said, her voice cracking. Robbie huffed out in anger. He could tell that she didn't want to do this but she had no choice. He wasn't angry at her but he couldn't help but feel pissed that she was the one sent to bring him in. This was calculated; they knew Daisy had the best chance at not only bringing him in but talking him down from just killing every S.W.O.R.D. agent he could find. 

"They've covered their bases, Robbie," Daisy continued, "They didn't tell me where Gabe was being kept because they knew you'd just create a portal and free him. And you know they're not going to free him even after they put you in prison."

"So it's either Gabe dies or I rot in prison for the rest of my life?"

"Well...until Commander Brand finds something for you to do. And based on how we're all being treated...she's going to make you do something you don't want to do. Now Robbie, I know you want to just transport yourself to the Peak and burn it to the ground but think about Gabe. And I hate to say this but...think about the world. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't here to protect the people from large threats anymore. That's S.W.O.R.D.'s job now."

"Are you actually defending these people?"

"I'm not. But just because I don't like them doesn't mean I don't recognize their importance. I promise, this won't be long-term."

Robbie took a deep breath. He hated these options but he knew that he had to turn himself in. It was him or Gabe and Gabe wins every time. _It's fair. Besides, I already died once. Prison doesn't sound too bad._

_But...there is one thing I can at least do. I'm sorry to do this to you, Daisy. Don't hate me for this._

"Okay, I'll come in," Robbie said, "But...does Lisa have to come in as well?"

"Robbie, what are you doing?" Lisa asked nervously. She backed up as Daisy moved closer to the both of them. 

"Brand said she's optional," Daisy answered, "But if we have her here, then she needs to come with us."

"You can't just let her leave?"

"Robbie, don't do this."

"I thought so. Sorry about this girl, I promise I'll make it up to you later on." 

 _SWOOSH!_ Before Daisy could react, Robbie threw the coffee table next to him at Daisy. Not able to quake the table away in time, she took the full hit and fell flat on her back. With the distraction, Robbie grabbed his chain and immediately spun a portal to the one place he could think of at the moment; Dubai. 

"Robbie, stop!" Daisy shouted, sending a quake blast to him. Robbie took the hit, sending him flying through the front door. Picking himself up immediately, Robbie shouted to Lisa, "Grab the duffel bag and the banner and go through the portal!" 

"Damn it, Robbie, I'm under strict orders to-"

Robbie cut her off with a swing of his chain, wrapping her around the waist. She screamed from the heat of the chains. Every time she tried to pull it off, her fingers would touch the burning metal. It was no good; the chain was way too tight. 

"Are you crazy!" Daisy shouted at him, "Are you trying to kill me!"

"No," he said defiantly, "I'm just buying time." With a quick whip, he threw Daisy to the side, sending her straight into the hideout's big screen TV. Daisy hit the ground with a loud  _thud._

Lisa grabbed the duffel bag and the banner and jumped through the portal. Turning back, she saw that Robbie was going to close it behind her. Before it closed completely, he shouted out, "Decipher the banner! Keep the bag hidden at all times! And find Farid! Say you know the Ghost Rider, he'll help you-"

 _SVASH!_ Robbie was cut off by Daisy, who sent off another quake blast, this one much stronger than her first one. He slammed right into the kitchen area, causing a tiny explosion when the quake blast hit the stove. By the time she did, the portal closed behind Lisa. 

Daisy kicked some of the debris in anger. "Why did you do that!?" she shouted at him, "I told you that we needed to bring her in-"

"No, you said she was optional and that only I had to come in. And I will."

"You just put Gabe, me, and the rest of us in danger! Brand is going to be furious when she finds out-"

"-you don't even know what's happening, do you Daisy?"

"What the hell are you talking about!" 

At that, Robbie walked past her and grabbed a piece of paper from Lisa's desk. It was a drawing of the Enlightened Society's symbol, the three S's connected by the organization's mantra. Daisy looked at it and, confused, said, "What did you just hand me?"

"I don't know yet...but S.W.O.R.D. needs to be aware that these people are a threat. I'll tell you everything I know once we reach your base." 

* * *

END-TAG

Location: Mess hall 

 

"What's the strangest thing you've encountered?"

Agent V laughed as Agent Piper asked that question to David Choi, who was just about to take a bite into his pastrami sandwich. Unlike the rest of the team, Piper was doing relatively well in her integration into S.H.I.E.L.D.. She had been assigned to the Command Center, which monitored possible extraterrestrial threats, and while the job was mostly uneventful, she still enjoyed it. Just being in space was thrilling and it was still a strange sight to see Earth from the station.

Wanting to know more about her new partners, she asked David that question as a little icebreaker. She smiled when she saw him grin and put the sandwich down. 

"Yeah, tell us Dave," V said as he ate a french fry. 

"Well, before I say anything, you're expecting a story about aliens right?" Dave asked Piper.

"I mean...this is S.W.O.R.D.," Piper said defensively, "Besides, this wouldn't be the first time I've dealt with aliens being real."

"Alright, alright...let me think about this. You wanted the strangest, right?"

"Right."

"Hmm...well, this didn't happen when I was in S.W.O.R.D.. It happened at my previous job."

"Previous job?"

"Yeah, I was in the military before being picked up by Commander Brand. Anyways, I was off-duty when all of a sudden, the place where I'm at turns into a battleground."

"Where were you?"

"Classified."

"Of course it is." 

"Can I finish my story please?"

"Sorry, continue." 

"So, the place I'm at turns into a battleground. We're under attack by this terrorist who wants to commit genocide and his forces proceed to destroy my side. So, we're getting hammered on all sides and just when I think things couldn't get worse...we lose our entire air force. We're about to lose the battle to this madman and I'm ready to retreat when all of a sudden...I hear the madman was killed."

"Wait, who killed him?"

"This is where it gets strange. I wasn't at the site when it happened but I read in the official reports that the madman was killed by a dancing scavenger, a green-skinned woman who has a reputation for being a legendary assassin, a criminal who didn't know what a metaphor was, and a raccoon and a tree that could talk."

"Shut. The. French door. Up!" Agent Piper said as she and Agent V burst out laughing as David finished his story, "You made that up!" 

"You think I'm making this up but I'm not," Dave said with a smirk, "Get this...they called themselves the 'Guardians of the Galaxy'. Also, the dancing scavenger's dad was a sentient planet but he was raised by a blue-skinned man with a glowing Mohawk and spoke with a Southern accent. Dead serious." 

"You should consider a career in writing, your imagination is pretty damn good. Also, 'Guardians of the Galaxy'? Hmm...that's a good nickname for S.W.O.R.D., now that I think about it." 

Piper ate her salad, lost in her train of thought, not noticing David's grin as he ate his sandwich. Nobody even suspected a thing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...that was an interesting turn of events, wouldn't you say? Now the story's gonna start picking up from here. Just stick with me because this is going to be a bumpy ride! (that was a bit corny lol)
> 
> Lisa Ortega is based on the Lisa from "All-New Ghost Rider". But unlike comic book Lisa, who is comic book Robbie's love interest, she is the genius sidekick to MCU Robbie. The Enlightened Society (our main antagonists of the season) is a remix of an existing Marvel supervillain organization/group. I can't reveal which one it is because that'd be spoilers but I will say that it's not HYDRA. And I'm not a big fan of the Inhumans but they had to show up in the season, you know? 
> 
> Also, I really enjoyed Radcliffe on the show, that's why he keeps popping back up in flashbacks. 
> 
> Also also, I'm lowkey thinking about a David x Piper subplot. ChoiPer? I'm not being 100% serious but it's definitely something that came to mind. 
> 
> Anyways, if you want, please leave a kudos and a comment!


	5. Negativity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie and Daisy face their punishment at the hands of Abigail Brand. Jemma looks into her family's connections to the Inhuman Royal Family and is faced with a difficult decision. And the reason why Abigail still holds a grudge towards Coulson and May is revealed...

_COULSON_

_Location: Attilan, middle of the Indian Ocean_

_Year: 2000_

_Time: Midday (the day before the short war between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Attilan)_

 

_"It's beautiful."_

_Coulson and May looked at each other as Director George Washington Bridge held the object in his hands. It looked like a jagged piece of diamond that was the size of a kitchen knife but something about this item seemed...strange. Coulson wasn't sure what it was that was bothering him but there seemed to be something off about the gem._

_"It's beautiful, right?" G.W. Bridge said again, "Can you believe that Black Bolt and his family have a piece of the Cosmic Cube in their treasury?"_

_Wait, say that again? Coulson raised his eyebrow, not sure what the hell G.W. was talking about._

_"Uh, director," Coulson started, "Not trying to play dumb here but what's a Cosmic Cube?"_

_"Power, Agent Coulson," he said with a sneer, "Absolute power. You know that S.H.I.E.L.D. used to have a full Cube, right? It was destroyed on September 28, 1978. Our archives don't tell us much but we believe it blew up from within. Too unstable, apparently. S.H.I.E.L.D. was only able to recover one shard from the Cube after its destruction but we lost it just a mere two years later. Since then, we've been trying to find pieces of the Cube. This, right here, is the first shard we've found since the eighties."_

_"Okay...but, what can it do?" May asked, taking a closer look at the shard, "Is it a weapon, a key to another dimension, a-"_

_There was a loud SLAM and the three agents stopped to see who it was. Dressed in all black, Blackagar Boltagon stormed into the room, taking the Cosmic Cube shard away from G.W. Bridge. He placed it back where Bridge had found it and turned to three of them, the frustration clear on his face._

_In sign language, he motioned, "Don't go near this thing again. Bad things happen to people who mess with items they shouldn't!"_

_Coulson nodded his head while May and Bridge looked confused. Luckily for him, Coulson had time to learn how to communicate with Black Bolt. Using sign language, Coulson motioned, "Our apologies, your highness. My leader here was only looking around, he did not mean to steal or use the shard. We mean no disrespect to you or your people."_

_"What did you just tell him, Agent Coulson?" Bridge spat out._

_Ignoring him, Black Bolt signed back with, "For you and your people sake, I hope you're telling the truth. This shard has cost us nothing but misery ever since we found it. If you want to do the world a favor...find all the pieces and get rid of them for good."_

 

* * *

DAISY

Location: Space shuttle on its way to the Peak 

Time: A few hours after Robbie and Daisy's fight 

 

"The Enlightened Society."

Daisy Johnson raised her eyebrows, unsure what to think of all of this. She turned to her fellow S.W.O.R.D. agents who were listening in on Robbie's story as well. They looked just as confused as she was. 

Robbie's story was quite fascinating. Apparently, he had been trailing these bank robbers who had stolen something that wasn't money. The robbers then turned out to be zealots of a cult led by someone named "Father Valdez". The name didn't ring a bell. Then, when Robbie followed a lead on one of the robbers, he found the banner for the Enlightened Society. He had no idea what it was but she did.

The strangest part of his story was definitely the "Enlightened Society". She had heard of the name before when she was in the Rising Tide. Her close friend at the time, Micro, described them as an "underground club for the world's smartest people". Membership is extremely exclusive and they were exceptionally good at covering their tracks. In fact, the last time the Rising Tide tried hacking into the Enlightened Society, they were booted out of their own systems and given only one warning;

_Hack us again and we'll bury the Rising Tide for good. We've buried groups like yours before...don't try it._

Daisy and her friends heeded the warning and never approached the Enlightened Society again. 

"I don't know how but they're definitely involved in all of this," Robbie continued, "Those guys took something from the bank. Something...not from this Earth. And I know it isn't because after I stopped all the zealots, I found one of their duffel bags. It was filled with this...I don't know how to describe it...magic sand or something. A single grain fell from the bag and all the lights and the fires on the street went out and the smell just disappeared. It was strange like...they didn't really go out but it was as if nothing happened. Like reality changed." 

"And you let your friend Lisa go with that item," Daisy snapped back. She was still annoyed about their fight. Robbie huffed at her, annoyed.

"You know we could've helped you, right?" Daisy continued.

"I couldn't find you or the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D.-"

"-no, I mean you could've brought this up to Abigail Brand and the rest of S.WO.R.D.. Use our own resources to track these people down!"

"I don't know S.W.O.R.D. like you do. From what I do know, Brand wants me locked up, along with Lisa. You really think I can trust these people? You really think I could leave whatever powerful item I found with this Brand person? For all I know, she could be a member of the Enlightened Society."

"Oh come on, this isn't a HYDRA situation we're talking about here. The Enlightened Society aren't some ancient fascist organization hellbent on conquering the world."  _At least I hope it isn't. God, I hope this isn't HYDRA 2.0._

"So you've heard of them," Robbie said, intrigued.

"Well, of course. My friend Micro told me all about them when I was in the Rising Tide. Plus...you ever watch the History Channel or go on those conspiracy theory websites? The Enlightened Society is one of those secret societies like the Illuminati, Bohemian Grove, Knights Templar, the Priory of Sion, Skull and Bones at Yale University, Club 33 from Disneyland-"

"-Club 33 is not a secret society."

"Might as well be because I'm still on the waiting list and I applied when I was nine. Anyways, from what I saw in the documentaries I watched, the Enlightened Society have been around since the 1900s. They were founded by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti of the Futurism movement, who believed that the past shouldn't be glorified and that we need to look forward to the future, hence the term 'futurist'. He wanted people to embrace forward thinking. So the Enlightened Society was founded with the purpose of creating a utopian society-"

"Sounds like HYDRA."

"Well...yeah, but they weren't genocidal madmen. No, they believed in a world ruled by logic, free thinking, knowledge, and so on. That's why they're quote unquote 'enlightened'. They rejected anything that contributed to what they believed was the 'ignorance of mankind'."

"Such as?"

"Um...nationalism. They believed it made people think irrationally. Racism, sexism, homophobia, those were all rejected too since they believed the concepts of superiority and inferiority only contributed to people's ignorance. Religion was a big one, they blamed world religions for enabling people to willingly accept ignorance over logic. I mean, those were the big ones, there was plenty more but I can't think of them at the top of my head. I guess in simpler terms, imagine a world ruled by South Park, George Carlin logic."

"Hmm...fascinating. And what do these super-geek, logic elitists have to do with the Darkhold?"

Daisy threw her hands up in surrender. "You got me there, Robbie. You'd think these guys would reject magic because they hated anything spiritual or new world-y." 

There was a loud  _clunk_ and the shuttle came to a stop. Robbie looked at the entrance.

"So we're here, at the Peak?" he asked Daisy.

"Looks like it."

"Always wanted to visit space. Never thought it'd be in handcuffs."

"Sorry about this. I promise, you won't be held long, I'll make sure of it."

"Easy for you to say. They took my chain away so I can't just go wherever I want to. And I couldn't escape even if I wanted to since we're in space."

"I know you're frustrated, believe me I am too, but just think of Gabe-"

"-I AM thinking about Gabe and how these pricks put him in this situation! I haven't stopped thinking about my brother ever since S.W.O.R.D. dragged him into this mess!"

"Don't get angry at me! I'm not responsible for any of this!"

"I"m not angry at you, I'm just saying!"

"Okay then, good!"

"Good!"

Robbie and Daisy leaned back in their seats, turning away from each other in frustration. It had only been one or two hours after their petty fight. Robbie's chest still hurt from getting quaked and Daisy's hips still felt like they were on fire after getting the Rider chain wrapped around her. But both of them understood what the other was trying to do in that situation. No hard feelings between them. But they were not about to say that out loud.

The doors opened and several S.W.O.R.D. agents lifted Robbie to his feet and escorted him out of the shuttle. Daisy followed as well. As they reached the docking area, she saw Agent Piper approach her, a frown on her face.

"Piper!" Daisy exclaimed, "So good to see you, how you've-"

"Sorry about this Agent Johnson," Piper said, "Brand's orders." With that, she slapped on a pair of handcuffs on Daisy's wrists. Before Daisy could react, her body suddenly felt weak. She buckled at her knees as Robbie pushed aside a few guards to catch Daisy before she fell.

"What did you do to her!?" Robbie shouted at Piper. As he looked around, the familiar sight of green hair approached the group. Daisy mentally cursed to herself as Abigail Brand pushed Piper away like a little child. 

"Those handcuffs were specifically designed to work on Inhumans, Mister Reyes," Abigail said, "As long as they're on Miss Johnson, she can't use her quake waves."

"They're hurting her! Take them off!"

"Robbie, just stop," Daisy said, gathering her strength. "Fight later."

"Miss Johnson failed to bring back Lisa Ortega," Brand continued, "Because of that, I'm placing her under arrest for letting a dangerous criminal loose."

"My mission was to just get Robbie back," Daisy growled.

"Well, I'm changing the mission's parameters because I can, Miss Johnson. And unless you want a life sentence, I suggest you shut your mouth. And speaking of that criminal that was let loose, we've placed Lisa Ortega on S.W.O.R.D.'s most wanted list, especially now that we know she's carrying a dangerous 0-8-4."

"You were listening in on the shuttle?" Robbie asked. Daisy rolled her eyes.  _Of course Brand was listening in._

"Heard every word of it."

"Then you know about the Enlightened Society! You need to start investigating them, figure out what they're after-"

"-I'm not interested in chasing ghosts and specters, Roberto. The only 'ghost' I'm after is the Ghost Rider. And after reviewing your conversation, in my honest opinion, you're chasing nothing."

"I've gone head-to-head with these people already!"

"Which you'll need to answer for. Did you really think you could just kill all these people without consequences? Don't be an idiot, Mister Reyes. I mean...you could be an idiot since you're willing to justify your murders by saying that you were investigating a secret society. A secret society which, by the way, has no ties to the occult. So unless you can come up with a better excuse for being a kill-crazy lunatic, then I'm not listening."

Robbie was at a loss of words. Daisy could see the frustration in his eyes but she knew they couldn't just attack.  _Just think about Gabe. Don't do anything that'll get Gabe hurt._

"Now," Brand continued, flipping her hair as she talked, "Follow me, I'll show you where you two will be held."

"I know where the detention center is," Daisy snapped.

"No...I have a better place in mind. One specifically designed for powered people." 

The guards pushed Daisy and Robbie to follow Brand. The commander led the two of them across the station. They stumbled across a large set of blast doors in an unoccupied section of the Peak. Brand typed in a password on a nearby keypad and even did a retina and fingerprint scan, followed up by a voice recognition scan.  _What the hell is behind these doors that requires that much security_ , Daisy wondered. The doors opened, revealing a circular device with a ramp at the bottom. It looked like a redesign of the portal that was created from the Darkhold.

"Wow, this brings back memories," Daisy said.

"Bad memories," Robbie quipped, "Yo, green lady, you mind telling us what's beyond this portal?"

Brand turned around and smiled at both of them. As she did, she took out a keycard and placed it inside a slot on the portal. The portal opened, revealing...a different detention area.

"This...is Prison 42," Brand said with a sneer, "Until we find an appropriate sentence for the both of you, you two will be kept here indefinitely. This prison's brand new so you'll be the only residents here. If you want, think of this as an opportunity for bonding since you now have the time and space to catch up."

"So, you made a prison in another dimension?" Daisy asked, bewildered, "I know you're a thorough person who thinks of every possible outcome but...come on, this is getting ridiculous."

"Nothing's ridiculous anymore, not after the hole in the sky opened and New York City was attacked by the Chitauri. You see...S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. have been-excuse me, _had been_ -working together in finding a way to keep powered people secured in case they were causing trouble. There's plenty of other prisons but Fury and Hill wanted a prison that was to be used if...necessary. A prison where if the prisoners ever got loose, we could just destroy the portal and leave them to rot."

"Okay, that's...actually, not a bad idea. G.G.."

"What the hell is 'G.G.'? Actually, don't tell me, I don't care."

"Where is this prison?" Robbie asked.

"The Negative Zone. Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, the first Ant-Man and Wasp, discovered this parallel universe in 1985 while doing research on the Quantum Realm. It's a vast, empty universe. No living inhabitants whatsoever...at least, in the area of the Negative Zone we've explored. Because of this, S.H.I.E.L.D. came up with the bright idea to create a prison here. S.W.O.R.D. agreed and did most of the heavy lifting when constructing this base."

"And you're SURE there's no inter-dimensional thingamabob in this place?" Daisy asked, nervously.

"Well...never say never. But come on, you're the Quake, remember? And you have the Ghost Rider with you. I think you can take on whatever nasty monster is lurking inside. Now come on, let's get you two in your cells. I've already missed the latest episode of 'Grey's Anatomy' because I have to deal with this mess."

* * *

JEMMA

Location: S.W.O.R.D.'s security hub 

 

Jemma took a deep breath as she approached the security room. Coulson was by her side, knowing that she needed his guidance for what she was about to do. After knocking on the door, Fitz opened it, startled to see the two of them. For a few seconds, Jemma had no idea what to say. She simply stood there, blinking rapidly, hoping that Fitz would talk first.  _Damn it, this is Fitz! I should just be able to talk to him-_

"Hello, Fitz," Coulson said, sparing Jemma, "We need your help on something."

"Um...sure, sir," Fitz said, moving his attention to Coulson.

"Just call me Coulson or Phil, Fitz, no need to address me as 'sir'. I'm not in a leadership position anymore. Technically. The advisory council sounds like they'd have some power but they really don't."

"Okay...Coulson. How can I help you and Jemma?"

"Yes!" Jemma said, breaking out of her stuttering trance, "We need your help on something. Can we come in?"

Fitz nodded his head and both she and Coulson walked in. Fortunately for Jemma, Roxanne and her other goons were not to be seen. _Good._ Jemma rubbed her stomach, the same place where she was punched.

"So," Fitz said, sounding unsure of the situation, "What exactly do you two need my help for? Did something break? Need me to build you something?"

"None of the above," Jemma said, "We need you to access some of S.W.O.R.D.'s more...secure archives. I'm assuming Roxanne gives you access to those type of files, right?"

"Um...yes but obviously I'm not supposed to give other people access. Jemma, what's going on here? Are you trying to piss off Commander Brand and Agent Tran?"

"Look, Fitz," Coulson interrupted, "It's a long story but I recently found out some troubling information about Simmons' family. You've met them, right?"

"Like once or twice. It was a few years back. Jemma's family are high-ups in Roxxon so from time to time, they'd throw these larges galas that Jemma would invite me too."

Jemma smiled at that, looking back at those memories. She and Fitz were still getting to know each other and he had gotten along with her entire family. She chuckled, thinking about the time Fitz and her brother, Andrew, were playing blackjack and how their luck was extremely disproportionate to each other. Fitz left with more money than he could imagine while Andrew was far deeper in the hole than everyone else at the table. She hated the galas but there were times that she had fun.  

Now it's just awkward silence and forced separation with Fitz. Jemma forced her attention back to the issue at hand. Their relationship problems would have to be resolved another time. 

"Did you notice anything...strange about Andrew Simmons?" Coulson asked.

Fitz scratched his nose, trying to think of anything to say. "Not that I remember," Fitz finally said, "He was...I don't know how to describe it. Warm-hearted? The guy laughs at every joke and always tries to be the life of the party. He kinda reminded me of Hunter but without the sarcasm and ex-wife troubles." 

"That's a good way of describing Drewie," Jemma said. On instinct, she called her brother 'Drewie'. That was the two of them; Drewie and 'Holo-Jem'. Jemma cringed when she thought back to her childhood, remembering how she loved Jem and the Holograms. If there was any memory she'd loved to bury, it was that.

"What happened then?" Fitz asked, "Did Andrew get in trouble?"

"He's not in trouble," Coulson said, "What happened was that he was last seen shaking Blackagar Boltagon's hand in public. The Simmons family and Roxxon recently pledged to support the Inhuman community and from the looks of it, they have the Inhuman Royal Family on their side."

"Um...I'm lost here. Is it a bad thing that Andrew is friends with...Blacka...Blackager...Blackagar Boltagong, no, Bolta...that name you just said?" 

"Black Bolt," Jemma said helping him out, "And long story short, it could be a bad thing since S.H.I.E.L.D. had a mini war with the Inhuman Royal Family in 2000."

"Oh Christ," Fitz said, pinching his nose, "Here we go again. Okay...what do we know so far?"

"That's it. I've scoured the entire web with Coulson's help and nothing. What we know is that the world is going crazy over the Inhuman Royal Family forming a strategic alliance with Roxxon. No one knows WHY they formed this alliance but most people think it's because Black Bolt and his family are angry at how Inhumans are being treated on Earth. We don't think that's the case so that's why we were hoping to find out through S.W.O.R.D.'s archives."

"Alright, sounds good. Um...Roxanne's out to prepare for our mission so we have about ten or so minutes to find something. I'll upload everything I have access to regarding Roxxon and the Simmons family on an external hard drive and from there, you and Coulson can open the files on your own time. But we can't look through them here, it's not safe."

"Sounds good," Jemma said, nodding as she did, "I can talk to Daisy, see if she can help with that."

"Alright, follow me." Fitz motioned for Jemma and Coulson to follow him into a different part of the security hub. He sat down and began typing on a computer, bringing up the database containing S.W.O.R.D.'s files on several people of interest. He chose the Simmons family and began uploading any file he had on Andrew Simmons. 

_Hold on...mission? With the security chief? I didn't know about that._

"So," Jemma said nervously, "You and Roxanne are going on a mission?"

Fitz stopped typing for a second and looked at her.

"Um, yes," Fitz said, also nervous, "It's classified so...yeah...can't talk about it and stuff."

"Wow, sounds interesting. You and Daisy are the only ones who get to do anything interesting nowadays. Doctor Rorchester just has me making coffee. I keep offering to make tea but none of them share our love for it."

"Sorry to hear about all of that," Fitz said as he went back to typing, giving out a fake cough to lighten the mood. 

"Um...is it awkward working with Roxanne?" 

"No, not at all. She's...um...I know you might have some problems with me saying this but she's actually pretty cool."

"Excuse me!" Fitz winced at her outburst. She definitely wasn't over the gut punch and to hear Fitz even say anything remotely good about Roxanne pissed her off. 

"Okay, okay, I know she hit you but-"

"-there should be no 'buts' after that! She threatened to carve my face up like a pumpkin! She humiliated me in front of everyone!"

"But she's not like that all the time. I'm thinking that it's just her public face."

"Oh, really? Then what's she like when it's just you two?"

"I don't know...funny? She likes to crack jokes from time to time. She plays music while we're working. And honestly, she has great taste in music because I also grew up with nineties alternative rock, and-"

"-Fitz, seriously? Do you hear yourself right now? You're defending the woman who attacked me!"

"But it was a fight you started! And I'm not trying to take her side, I'm just saying that she's not the ruthless security chief that we thought she was."

"Does that matter? She's still not one of us! So she treats you well for the past few days and suddenly, you've forgotten that you're a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is dead!"

"Oh, I get it now. So what you're really saying is...now you're pro-S.W.O.R.D.-"

"-No! How can you even think I'd be pro-S.W.O.R.D.? I haven't forgotten about our friends, Jemma. I haven't forgotten about you!" 

Silence.

Coulson, who had stepped aside to let them fight, let out a small gasp. Fitz, who just realized he had stood up during the argument, sat back down and placed his head in his hands, trying to calm down. Jemma, trying to defuse the situation, stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. This was the closest they've gotten to talking about their break-up. It had to happen sooner or later but they were both hoping to delay this confrontation as much as possible. 

"Fitz-" Jemma said, trying to think of anything to say to him.

"-let's just get your files," he said, gently brushing her hand away, "There'll be time to talk about this. Just not now."

"Fitz, we can't just-"

Jemma stopped talking as Fitz began uploading the rest of the files onto an external hard drive. He then unplugged it from the computer and handed it to Jemma.

"That's everything S.W.O.R.D. has on the Inhuman Royal Family and your family," Fitz said.

"You sure?" Coulson asked hesitantly.

"No. That's everything that I have access to at least. S.W.O.R.D.'s using the clearance system that S.H.I.E.L.D. used to have. I'm level 6 and to get some perspective, Roxanne's level 10. So you have everything a level 6 agent has access to."

"6? Wow. I'm stuck at level 2."

"Barely Level 1," Jemma said, "Any idea why she trusts you that much?"

"No clue," Fitz said, "But I will say...there's something about her that seems familiar. Maybe we worked together in the past and she's treating me well because of that, I don't know. I have a hard time keeping track of people nowadays."  

"Well...thank you for the help Fitz," Jemma said, hoping that they were past their argument. 

"No problem. Just don't get caught with that."

"We won't."

She wanted to kiss him goodbye. Or at least hug him goodbye. Instead, she settled for a handshake. At that, Coulson and Jemma walked out of the security hub. Luckily for them, they walked out just as Roxanne Minh Tran arrived. She was busy reading a book and didn't notice them as they left. Jemma let out a sigh of relief as they walked past the security chief, undetected. 

While walking away from the security hub, Coulson said, "You two need some counseling,"

"All of us need counseling," Jemma said with a chuckle.

"Do you still...you know-"

"-love him? Of course. It's just...things are complicated. We just need time and space to heal." 

"You're not worried about Fitz saying that Roxanne seems familiar? That's never a good sign, at least in our experience."

Jemma pondered that question. Roxanne didn't seem familiar to her at all so she assumed that if Fitz did know her, he must've known her before the Academy. But who was she then?

"Of course I'm worried," Jemma finally said, "But we'll just have to wait and see."

"And if she turns out to be a threat?"

"Then I'll follow through with my promise to kill her." Coulson didn't have to say anything. His surprised-but-impressed expression was enough of a response.  

* * *

MAY

Location: Brand's office

 

Melinda May knew she was being reckless but she had to confront Abigail Brand about what went down on the docks. She knew that Brand would still hold a grudge but the fact that she threw Daisy behind bars was enough to push her over the edge.  _Hate me all you want but leave my team out of it._

Pushing the S.W.O.R.D. agent blocking the office door, May stormed in as Abigail was typing up a report on her laptop.

"Hey, you can't go in there!" the S.W.O.R.D. agent shouted as he tried grabbing May's arm. May responded by grabbing his hand and took him down with her legs like the Black Widow. Brand didn't look impressed.

"Leave us, Gerald," Brand said as she closed her laptop, "Obviously Meli has something to say."

"But...Commander-"

"Out, please." The S.W.O.R.D. agent nodded his head and limped out of the room. As he did, Brand stood up from her desk and approached Melinda. May held her ground. She didn't care if this meant a life sentence, she had enough of Brand's bullshit.

"This about Miss Johnson, Meli?"

"Why did you lock her away?" May said, the anger in her voice clear as day.

"She disobeyed a direct order-"

"-and why was she sent to capture Robbie Reyes in the first place!?".

"You worried about her safety? I knew Robbie wasn't going to hurt her, that's why I sent her in the first place."

"And how the hell did you even convince her to follow along with your plan."

"Now I can't reveal that. That's confidential. Need-to-know."

"You don't even have to tell me because I know you blackmailed her. That's how it is with you. You ever stop and wonder why people hate you so much? Why the only way you can get people to do your work is to use dirty tricks? You haven't changed at all."

Brand's face dropped at that. May saw her face go from neutral annoyance to angry hatred in just a matter of seconds. She gave herself a mental pat on the back for that; from experience, it was hard to get Brand this angry.

"How dare you, Melinda," Brand said through gritted teeth, "I never changed? I NEVER changed? I was NEVER this cruel back in the eighties and the nineties. Yes, I know I'm cruel today but I'm this way for a goddamn reason. You think I like being ruthless!? You think I like hearing my own soldiers say they fear for their own safety because of me? You always think I'm some horrible monster-"

"-you are, you're just too full of yourself to see that-"

"You've never liked me," Brand said, slamming her first down on her desk. May just rolled her eyes. She knew that Abigail was just trying to get under her skin, to twist the conversation to make herself look like the victim. Make her feel guilty about her own actions. No, May knew better. She didn't want to give Abigail the satisfaction. 

"That's old information," May simply answered, "Of course I've never liked you. You've never given me a reason to like you."

"Oh...so the truth comes out. Is that why you screwed over ten years of my life? Is that how petty you really are?" 

"What went down in Wakanda was not my damn fault and blaming me for what happened isn't going to change that."

Brand took in a deep breath as she tried to process May's words. May knew she crossed a line but deep down, she'd been waiting to cross this particular line. She was pretty sure that when Coulson told the group about why Abigail hated them so much, he said something along the lines of them breaking up. That this was all an ex-girlfriend's revenge for a nasty break-up. But May knew the truth and it was uglier than just a break-up. 

The year was 1993. Coulson and Brand were on their way out by this year and May had gotten much closer to Coulson. On Fury's orders, they were to go to the border of Wakanda to do a prisoner exchange. In exchange for getting Hawkeye's rogue brother, Barney Barton, back from King T'Chaka, the Wakandan army would hand over a member of the Dora Milaje who had been auctioning off vibranium to known terrorist groups. The exchange went off without a hitch...until one foolish S.H.I.E.L.D. agent decided to sneak into Wakanda and steal some vibranium.

May and Brand were split on how to deal with the situation. May wanted to grab him before he was spotted by sneaking back into Wakanda through the vibranium black market trade routes. Brand, being her selfish self, wanted to leave him behind. Coulson broke the tie by siding with May and the three of them entered Wakanda to get their friend back. But by the time they reached him, the agent had already been captured and killed by the Wakandan army. May, Coulson, and Brand then escaped Wakanda but on the way back, Brand stayed behind to buy time for Coulson and May to escape.

It was the one, heroic thing that Brand had done...at least in May's opinion. When Coulson and May petitioned for S.H.I.E.L.D. to stage a rescue operation, they were shut down by the World Security Council who believed they had already caused too much of an international incident. S.H.I.E.L.D. cut all ties to Abigail afterwards and she rotted in a Wakandan prison for ten years. When Brand broke herself out of prison in 2003, May and Coulson attempted to reach out to her. All they got was an angry rant, that Brand blamed them for her time in prison, and that she wanted nothing to do with them for as long as she lived.

That was 2003. The only other time May encountered Brand was in 2014, during the S.H.I.E.L.D.-HYDRA War. Even though they were on the same side, it was clear that Brand still blamed them for her troubles. May did feel bad for her but still, she couldn't bring herself to make amends. After all, she had no good memories to look back on with Brand. The past aside, this still didn't give Brand the right to treat her team this way. 

"I said going back to get Cerrino was a bad idea," Brand said with such venom in her tone that even May was caught off guard, "And do I have to remind you that I stayed behind to make sure you and Phil could escape?"

"And I appreciate what you did-"

"-where were you when I was locked away? Where was Phil? Where was Fury? Gonzales? Hand? Hill? Pierce? Malick? All of you were perfectly willing to let me rot in some foreign country when it should've been YOU! You were the one who wanted to save Cerrino!"

"Me and Phil did try getting you back but we couldn't do anything! Fury already cut ties with you by the time we tried!"

"Oh my god...you're still trying to cover yourself? Did you forget all those complaints you wrote about me? How I'm 'untrustworthy', 'a danger to those around me'? That was all you Meli! And you still wonder why Fury cut ties with me, after all the times you've said I was a bad agent."

Melinda took a step back. All those times she complained about Brand's behavior was starting to haunt her. Truthfully, she knew that Fury had his reasons for severing ties with Brand but part of her did feel responsible for putting the idea in Fury's head.

"You think you know trauma, May?" Brand continued, "Come back to me once you've spent ten years in a Wakandan prison. There is nothing that you've experienced these past few years that even comes close to that."

"Whoa...watch it Abigail. You're walking on some thin ice here."

"You don't know trauma like I do. Why would you, you've led a pretty good life. First Andrew Garner...now you're moving onto Phillie. You've always had a thing for him anyways. You even adopted the Quake and the Fitzsimmons kids. And yet you still walk around as if you've seen worse than me."

"Last warning. Don't you even try."

"You think you're traumatized? The most traumatic thing that happened to you was that you shot a little girl who you just met-" 

 _BLAM!_ Just the slightest mention of Bahrain was enough to destroy any restraint she had. Her fist made contact with Abigail's jaw, sending her reeling back. When Abigail tried charging at her, May did a front snap kick, sending Brand back onto her desk, crushing her own laptop with her back. 

"Now that's the Melinda I remember," Brand said, cackling, as she forced herself back onto her feet, "Brash, answers everything with her fists like an unruly child. Even acts like one with all her stupid pranks."

Brand's hands lit up with fire, catching May by surprise.

"You're Inhuman?" May asked.

"Took some fish oil, changed my life for the better." Brand shot out a small blast, which May dodged. "All those times you beat me in sparring...now we're finally even!"

"I've taken Inhumans down before!"

"Easy Melinda, with the 'I' word. People might think you're prejudiced if you say things like that." Abigail lunged forward, hoping to catch May. May rushed forward to meet Abigail...before getting unceremoniously knocked down to the ground by S.W.O.R.D. agents charging into the room. The agents, led by Roxanne Minh Tran, circled around May while Roxanne approached Brand. Fitz was there as well and he, with Roxanne's permission, lifted May to her feet. 

"You okay, ma'am?" Roxanne asked, concerned, "We saw what was going down on the security cameras. Sorry if we were a bit late."

"It's alright, Agent Tran," Brand said as she collected herself, "I'm fine, nothing I can't just walk off. Take Miss May to the detention area. Give her at least a day in the tank, she just needs to calm down." 

"May, are you alright?" Fitz whispered to her. May nodded her head for 'yes'. 

The guards began pushing May out of the office, with Fitz and Roxanne in tow. As they exited Brand's office, Brand shouted out, "Nice hook, Meli! You've been working on your punches. The records and filing department should be honored to have a woman of your skills!"

May didn't respond back. She only stared ahead as the security team led her to the detention area. 

* * *

FITZ

Location: Detention area 

 

_"Roxanne, we can't sneak into that movie! It has the 18 certificate on it!"_

_"Relax, Dum Dum, we won't get caught! Just trust me on this, Leo!"_

 

Roxanne pushed May into her cell and locked the doors with a quick swipe of her key card. Fitz waved one last time to May before the doors closed and he was left waving at a wall.

"Well...that was something," Fitz said.

"Glad we were able to stop that fight in time," Roxanne answered, "Can you imagine what would've happened if that fight continued? We could've been dealing with something more serious."

"You think May would've really hurt her?"

"May? No, Abigail would've hurt her. The Cavalry's a badass but she's not an Inhuman."

"Abigail Brand's an Inhuman?"

"Yes, Dum Dum. That's why there were scorch marks on the ground. Now come on, let's go over our strategy before we head out to the Stark Expo. I want to make sure we're on the same page before we go down to Earth."

_Dum Dum...hold on...where have I heard that before?_

"Leo, you okay?" Roxanne asked, her eyebrows raised in confusion. Fitz looked back at her as it suddenly hit him.  _Oh my god...Leopold James Fitz, how the hell could you be this dense._

"You just called me Dum Dum," Fitz said, still unsure if his suspicions were right. Roxanne took a step back, as if she just realized what she had said. "Roxy? Are you...Roxanne Sutherland?"

At that, Roxanne smiled. She placed her hands on her hips as if she was proud of him. 

"About freaking time, Leo," she said, "I was beginning to wonder if you actually forgot about me."

"Oh my god, it really is you!" For those few seconds, Fitz didn't care if this was the same woman who punched Jemma and threatened to carve her face. Right now, she was his childhood friend. He grabbed her and gave her a strong hug. She hugged him back, surprised at the suddenness. 

When Fitz let go of the hug, he said, "Wow...I just...wow, I'm an idiot."

"Yeah, about that, why didn't you recognize me?"

"Well, give me a break here! The last time I saw you, we were eleven! I don't remember how any of my primary school friends look like! I don't even think about that time!"

"I was your best friend. And I'm half-Chinese, half-Scottish. And my first name is Roxanne! How did you not notice me?"

"In my defense, you look extremely different, Roxy." Roxanne gasped, slightly offended by Fitz's statement.

"How do I look different!" she yelled playfully, "I mean, I'm definitely taller and older."

"Well, last time I saw you, you had really long hair. Like going down to your waist. And you had thick bangs. Now it looks like you're going for a pixie cut-era Winona Ryder look."

"Well...true. And I'll take the Winona Ryder comparison as a compliment."

"And you had braces. Really goofy-looking ones too. Mum used to joke that she could put magnets on your teeth because of those things."

"That is...also true. I miss Auntie Gwendolynn, I should really give her a call one of these days."

"And you wore glasses! Those thick, horn-rimmed glasses that you used to tie with string because they kept falling off your face!"

"Alright, you made your point-"

"And the acne. So much acne. I remember you used to cry all the time because you couldn't get rid of your acne."

"-Leo, I get it-"

"-and last but not least...you had a different last name."

"I told you my new last name-"

"-the day you left. You expect me to remember that?"

"Apparently not since you couldn't recognize me a week ago."

Roxanne chuckled at her own comment and Fitz laughed along with her. It felt nice to laugh. Fitz could still hardly believe this was the same girl who S.W.O.R.D. had feared. That this was the same girl with the reputation as one of the world's most infamous thieves. She was nothing like the stories he had heard.

"Well, okay, you have a point," Roxanne continued, "Several, actually. You changed a lot, as well."

"How?"

"You lost your curls, your voice deepened, you've let your facial hair grow out, and you aren't the funny, jokey boy that I knew."

"I used to be...you know, until...S.H.I.E.L.D. happened." Fitz's face dropped at that. She was definitely right about one thing; he had changed since joining S.H.I.E.L.D. all those years ago. He knew that he had grown into a much stronger person with S.H.I.E.L.D. but there were times where he wished he could rewind the clocks and be his old self. Before he had to deal with HYDRA, Inhumans, ancient monsters from space, robots with crushes on him, and so on. Back to a time where life was simple. 

"I get it," Roxanne said, noticing his change in mood, "Same with me and S.W.O.R.D.. And all the heists I've done. Life's been pretty hard since I left mum and dad. For example, I think I've been betrayed more times than I think a normal person should be."

"That's sadly something I can relate to."

"The thing is, I'm not stupid. I know my reputation, I listen to the whispers. I know I'm the big bad security chief. But the truth is...I hate it. I don't want to be this person but that's what I have to be for this job. You think the troops here will listen to fun-loving Roxanne or mean bitch Roxanne?"

"Well...Coulson was sort of my group's dad for a while and we all loved following him. Even when he made some bad decisions, we still followed him because we respected him."

"Hmm...that's the S.H.I.E.L.D. way of doing things. Brand does things the complete opposite. 'Better for them to fear you than to like you', that's something she loved to say. And you can see it in how the agents act around here."

"Yeah...definitely not feeling any love here in S.W.O.R.D.," Fitz said.

"Exactly," Roxanne continued, "It makes me kinda wish...I joined S.H.I.E.L.D. instead. So I don't have to be this way."

"Well, if you did join S.H.I.E.L.D., you'd still join S.W.O.R.D. no matter what. I doubt things would change that much."

"I don't know about that. Maybe me and Jemma could've started out on the right foot? Speaking of Jemma, I know you're angry at me for how I acted to her and I promise you, I'll make it up to both of you the next time I see her. There was nothing personal about that encounter and trust me when I say that I really wish I hadn't punched her. That's not me at all."

Fitz, feeling the awkwardness that was about to come, rubbed his hands as he said, "So...why did you punch her?"

"I was putting up an act! I was already playing the mean bitch part but then she threatened to kill me. You really think I could let that go with my agents watching me? They'd never let me live it down and Brand would get suspicious."

"So that was all an act? Even the part where you made her apologize?"

"I needed to make an example. Think of it like this; I was thinking of the worst possible thing I could do that would have the best possible outcome for her. It was that, continued solitary confinement, or report her to Abigail Brand. And you KNOW that would not end well for her."

Fitz nodded at that, shuddering at the thought of Brand sadistically coming up with a way to humiliate Jemma. "What about the carving up her face?" Fitz asked.

"That...okay, don't laugh."

"Why would I laugh? You threatened to carve my ex-girlfriend's face up."

"First off, that was a completely empty threat. I've never carved anyone's face up my entire life. Second...that's a line from a movie."

Fitz couldn't help but laugh. Roxanne playfully punched him on the arm.

"I said 'don't laugh'!" she said, trying to get him to stop laughing.

"What movie?"

"Really Leo? Shame on you. 2006, indie horror-thriller movie 'The Prehistoric Man', starring the 'Wonder Man' Simon Williams, Ellen Page, and Keira Knightley. It was the only movie where Simon played a bad guy!"

"Never heard of it. I know who Simon Williams is though."

"Well, you should definitely watch it, it's a great movie. Ellen and Keira are best friends who find a time machine that brings back a caveman, played by Simon. It starts out as a Spielberg-esque film with the caveman becoming friends with the two girls but then halfway into the movie, it's revealed he's a bloodthirsty pagan chieftain who sacrifices women that he sleeps with. Crazy, right? And the whole movie, he tries to sleep with Keira Knightley so he could sacrifice her."

"You know I hate horror movies, right?"

"I remember. Anyways, the scene where I got the carving line from was at the big reveal. Ellen Page has found out about Simon Williams' true intentions and just as she's about to warn Keira Knightley, Simon ambushes her. Simon then ties her up in her attic and, with a cattle prod to her face, he says 'I'll carve your face up like a pumpkin on Halloween to the point that even your boyfriend won’t want anything to do with you'. Ellen Page's boyfriend by the way was played by Daniel Henney, which is extremely important to me since I'm Asian."

"Wow...how in the world did you convince S.W.O.R.D. that you're some dangerous, evil sadist that should be feared? And I'm being serious here because I really want to know. You're still a huge nerd."

Roxanne laughed at that. "Some things just don't change, you know. And, if you have time, we could catch up in the mess hall. I'll tell you how I earned these guys' respect."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere else anytime soon." 

* * *

JEMMA

Location: Jemma's room, level 1 dorm 

 

With the hard drive at hand, Jemma Simmons and Phil Coulson made their way through the Peak headed to Jemma's designated room. The Peak had sections dedicated to housing, each one separated by clearance level. By default, the level 1 clearance housing was the largest while the level 10 clearance housing was the smallest. 

Jemma originally planned on having Daisy hack into the hard drives in order to prevent S.W.O.R.D. from catching on that they were dealing with restricted files. But after finding out that Daisy and Robbie were tossed away in S.W.O.R.D.'s special prison for powered people, she had to come up with a different way of hacking into the hard drives. 

_Maybe I can contact Miles Lydon, wherever the bloody hell is he. Or maybe even Bobbi and Hunter? Maybe I can ship these out to them? There has to be SOMEONE who can help us out._

Until then, Jemma decided to hide the hard drives in her room. It wasn't the best place to hide the items but there was no other place she could go. They were literally in enemy territory and the closest to home territory she had was her room.

Jemma opened the door to her room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw her roommate dead, a crystal-like shard coming through her chest. Jemma had only known Agent Sarah Gatsby for three days so while this wasn't something she would cry over, it still depressed her to see this agent dead. 

"What the hell?" Coulson said as he stepped inside, "Careful Simmons. Whoever did this could still be in the area."

Simmons nodded her head at him and stepped inside, minding her surroundings. As soon as she entered the room, the door closed behind her. Before Jemma could react, she saw a figure move at the corner of her eye. Coulson's yell for her to open the door was cut short when the mysterious figure stabbed him in the chest with another crystal-like object.

_No. No, no, no, no no!_

Coulson struggled as he tried to pull the crystal object out from his chest. The figure held her grip on the object, pushing it even deeper. With Jemma taking a good look at her, she saw that the woman had neck-length black hair and was dressed in S.W.O.R.D.'s tactical gear. Jemma then looked down and saw that the crystal object that she was stabbing Coulson with was coming from her wrist.  _She's an Inhuman...that must be her ability._

"Nothing personal," the Inhuman said as she released the crystal from her wrist, leaving it trapped in Coulson's chest. Coulson collapsed to the ground, nearly passed out from shock. 

"Jemma, run!" Coulson shouted. Jemma turned around to move but the woman outran her. She knocked Jemma to the ground and, after producing another crystal from her wrist, used it to drive Jemma's left shoulder into the floor. Jemma screamed as the Inhuman let the blade go, keeping Jemma pinned to the ground. 

"Mercy," a voice said. Jemma didn't have to look up to tell that it was coming from the woman's earpiece. She couldn't recognize the voice but it definitely didn't belong to any of the S.W.O.R.D. agents she's encountered. 

"Mercy, you there?" the voice said again.

"I'm here," the woman said as she produced another crystal from her wrist. This time, she aimed it right at the back of Jemma's neck. 

"Has Jemma Simmons been taken care of?"

"Not yet. About to deal with it now."

"Wait!" Jemma screamed, "Please, stop!"

"This isn't personal," Mercy said, "But your brother made some very bad deals that we now have to answer for. It's a shame...we were hoping you and Leo Fitz would join us. What a waste. Blessed are the ones who seek knowledge...they are the key to an Enlightened Society-"

 _THWACK!_  The woman let out a loud yelp as Coulson managed to remove the embedded shard and tossed it at the back of her head. Using the distraction, Jemma painfully pulled the shard in her shoulder out and pushed Mercy to the side. Jemma ran for the door but Mercy stood up and grabbed her. Jemma felt the squeeze as Mercy began choking the life out of her.

"Let go of me!" Jemma said as she struggled from Mercy's grip.

"Stop struggling, you're only making this worse for yourself."

Running out of options, Jemma forced Mercy backwards, knocking her onto the wall. Mercy's grip somehow tightened. Jemma tried scratching away at Mercy's arms but the tactical gear got in the way. Then, Jemma went for the woman's wrists. She clawed away where the crystals protruded from. At that, Mercy screamed as she let Jemma go. Mercy held onto her wrists as she started to bleed from where Jemma scratched her.

 _Need to get out of this room and get help! Coulson's gonna bleed out if I sit here._ Painfully, Jemma ran for the door again, tossing items at Mercy to keep her away. Unfortunately, Mercy slapped away anything that Jemma threw at her. Nothing seemed to phase this assassin. 

"Jemma, just get out of here!" Coulson shouted with whatever strength he had left. Mercy responded by kicking Coulson in the face, effectively knocking him out. This was enough to buy time for Jemma to open the door and escape. 

As Jemma ran into the hallway, another S.W.O.R.D. agent exited his room to see what was happening outside. He bumped into Jemma, who was holding onto her bleeding shoulder.

"Oh my god, ma'am, are you alright?" the agent asked.

"No, get out of the way, she's coming!" Jemma screamed.

"Who's coming-"

 _SNIKT, SCHWING!_ Catching Jemma off-guard, Mercy extended another crystal from her bleeding wrist and tossed it at the agent, hitting him right through his right temple. The agent fell to the ground, dead on impact. No time to waste, Jemma continued to run. The blood she was losing from her pierced shoulder was starting to get to her but she couldn't stop. 

 _SCHWING!_ Another crystal flew threw the air, this time hitting the wall right next to Jemma's face.  _Too damn close._ But the surprise of the crystal hitting right next to her face caused her to lose her balance and trip. She hit the ground with a hard  _thud._

Mercy walked up to Jemma, another set of crystals ready to throw.  _This is it._ Jemma closed her eyes and held her hands up, hoping to shield her face from the strike-

 _BLAM!_ To Jemma's surprise, instead of the sound of a crystal flying through the air, she heard a loud shotgun blast. She opened her eyes and saw Mercy, scampering away, her crystals on the ground. Jemma had never been more glad to see Mack with his shotgun axe at hand. He helped her sit upright and leaned down to hug her.

"How you doing, Simmons?" he asked gently.

"Not good, get Coulson," she stuttered out, "He's in critical condition, you need to go to him now-"

"DIE!" Mack stood up as Mercy extended two crystals and fired them at Mack. Before Mack could pump his shotgun and fire back, Elena ran into the scene and grabbed the crystals before they could reach him.  _Thank the heavens for super speed,_ Jemma thought to herself. Elena Rodriguez tossed the crystals away just as Mack pumped the shotgun and fired another blast. The shot missed as the woman ducked down.

"Psycho killer!" Elena shouted in Spanish. 

"I got this," Mack said to her, "Go get Coulson, Jemma says he's in trouble."

"On it, where's Coulson?" 

"My room," Jemma said, "Be careful with him, he got stabbed in the chest by that monster." Elena nodded and zoomed off.

As Elena left, the woman stood up and fired a crystal at Mack. The crystal hit his shotgun and went right through the ejection port, making it useless.

"Goddammit!" Mack shouted as he threw the gun away. Mercy tried to take advantage. She ran out into the hallway, ready to strike when all of a sudden... _BLAM!_ A loud revolver shot rang out through the hallways as Mercy hit the ground, knocked down. The shot hit her right at the center of her bulletproof vest.

Jemma turned to her right and saw Agent David Choi. He looked like a cowboy with his weapons set-up. Revolver gun belts that could hold two large revolvers. One was in a holster, the other was in David's hand. He twirled it around like a real cowboy, even doing a nice behind-the-back flip with the gun.  

"We got the situation under control, Agent Mack?" David asked.

"Looks like it," Mack responded, "Was there anyone else, Simmons?" Simmons nodded her head for 'no'. 

"Who do we got?" David asked Jemma.

"No idea," she said, "I just saw her in my room and she started attacking. She killed two S.W.O.R.D. agents before you two arrived."

"Well, it's a good thing we got here to put an end to this-"

To their surprise, the woman started laughing. Cautiously, David approached Mercy, twirling his revolver as he did. He then aimed it right at Mercy's forehead, ready to fire if she tried anything.

"Who are you?" David asked.

"The first of many," Mercy said with a sneer, "Blessed are the ones who seek knowledge...they are the key to an Enlightened Society. You and the rest of S.W.O.R.D. should be worried. We only wanted the Roxxon girl...now they'll come after all of you."

"Who's they?"

"The Enlightened Society. S.W.O.R.D. is going to feel their wrath. Although, from what I found out about you, you shouldn't be worried about that. Because you're not actually a S.W.O.R.D. agent. Isn't that right, Officer David Choi of the Nova Corps-" 

 _BLAM!_ Mack and Jemma were caught off guard as David fired a shot at Mercy's head, killing her instantly. 

"What the hell did you do that for!?" Mack shouted, "We got her already!"

"Had to be done," David said.

"What did she mean by 'Enlightened Society'? And what's the Nova Corps? Who are you!?"

David looked at Mack and Jemma, unsure on how to respond. Before he had a chance to say anything, Jemma's vision went back as she slumped to the ground and passed out. 

* * *

DAISY

Location: Prison 42 

 

It had only been a few hours since being locked away in Prison 42 and Daisy was already bored out of her mind. Robbie was in the cell across from her. The prison was shaped in a cylindrical fashion. At the center was a large hole which, if someone were to look down, would let people see the other levels of Prison 42. Each floor had 40 cells each but Daisy wasn't sure how many floors there were. Not that it mattered since they were the only two people inside. 

As she laid on her bed hoping for something to happen, Robbie shouted out, "So...how've you been?"

"What do you wanna know?" Daisy replied back.

"I don't know...just tell me something because I'm tempted to just bust my way out of here. I'm dying of boredom here."

"Same. And please keep the Rider down, just because we're alone doesn't mean we're not being watched."

"I was just joking." 

"I know, but still. Anyways...uh...not much has been happening. Been locked up with May for eight-ish months, got released, everything went to shit since we're working for the green-haired devil."

"Hey, I actually am working with the devil. Though I do agree, that Brand lady needs an ass-kicking." 

"Get in line, Robbie. So enough about me, how about you? Tell me more about this Team Rider thing you got going."

"Well...it's not much, really. The goal was to help people, you know? Like a superhero. But I was helping people in the way that the Ghost Rider was meant for. Taking down supernatural threats, like ghosts, monsters, demons, and the occasional rogue angels."

"You fought an angel?"

"It's not as cool as it sounds."

"You fought an ANGEL. Did they have wings?"

"Yes but they were more...monster-like than I expected. You'd think an angel would be just this handsome dude or pretty woman coming down from the sky, maybe playing a harp or some crap like that."

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow. And yeah, those were the kinds of things I fought. It was me and Gabe at first. Then Lisa Ortega came along. She was the brains of the group. Every time I was stuck or didn't understand a certain myth or legend, she'd always have an answer."

"She sounds lovely."

"She could be a pain in the ass though. I know you've only known her for five minutes but trust me, the longer you know her, the more you begin to realize just how uptight she could be. But I love her for that. She keeps me and Gabe in order and honestly, it's nice to have that kind of person in my life."

Something about those words stirred something up in Daisy. Without thinking about it, Daisy said, "So...you two just friends?"

Robbie laughed, which caused Daisy second-hand embarrassment. "Yes, we are. I know I talk about her like she's my girlfriend or something but no, she's more like my little sister if anything. Yeah, she's hot and all but I'm not just in it for the looks." 

"Spoken like a true gentleman."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. Give me a chance and I'll show you just how much of a gentleman I can be."

"Wait...did you say 'I' should give you a chance?"

Daisy sat up and saw Robbie lie down on his bed, trying to avoid her sight. She blushed but that quickly went away when Robbie said, "It's a figure of speech, Daisy. I meant if any girl gave me a chance, that's all."

"Wow, way to ruin the moment, Robbie." Daisy lied back down, feeling oddly disappointed. 

"Ruin what moment?"

"Never mind."

"No, I'm serious, did I say something-" Robbie stopped talking.

 _Hmm...Robbie? Hello, Robbie, are you there?_ Daisy sat back up and saw what Robbie was looking at.

It was a little girl. She had short, brown hair and had clear, white skin. It was eerie just how clear this girl's skin was. The girl was eating a cookie as she sat cross-legged on the ground, turning her head to look at Daisy and Robbie.

"Um," Robbie said, "You're seeing what I'm seeing, right?" 

"The little girl?" Daisy said, "Yeah, I see her." 

"What is this place?" the girl said, "This place doesn't feel like Earth. Oh, I'm Kobik by the way! Mister MacKenzie said I needed a name so that's the name I picked." 

_Mack? What the hell is going on here-_

"You call Mister MacKenzie 'Mack'?" Kobik asked Daisy, "Huh...that name does fit him."

_Wait...how did she...can she read minds-_

_"Of course I can read minds, silly," Kobik said in Daisy's head, "I can also open doors with my mind too. I'm still learning about myself. Doctor Rorchester says I still have a lot of 'untapped potential'."_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you need to stay out of my head!" Daisy shouted.

"Daisy, you okay?" Robbie asked.

"Careful Robbie, she's Inhuman! She has some sort of telepathic, telekinetic powers-"

"-I'm not an Inhuman," Kobik said, slightly irritated, "No one knows who I am. Doctor Rorchester said I couldn't possibly be Inhuman since my blood samples came back without any sign of the Inhuman gene."

"But...that's impossible! How are you doing this then!?"

"I don't know. I wish I had a better answer for you two. Hey, I'm feeling slightly uncomfortable with the both of you locked away like this. I know the green-haired lady did this. She's mean and I don't like her. So I thought I'd...come here and help."

Before Daisy could ask how Kobik found Prison 42 and was able to sneak past the guards, her and Robbie's cell doors opened. Daisy went full-on into panic mode as the alarms started ringing.  _No! No, no, no! Brand's gonna think we're escaping and is going to hurt Gabe!_

"No, Kobik!" Daisy shouted, "Lock us back in, we can't be outside!"

"But I don't understand!?" Kobik shouted back, "I thought I was helping! Aren't you two miserable in there-"

"-FREEZE!" Kobik stopped talking as the S.W.O.R.D. agents came through the portal on the Peak side and surrounded her. Several other agents surrounded Robbie while the last third surrounded Daisy.  

"Yo, we weren't trying to escape!" Robbie shouted, "Tell Abigail Brand that, please! You have to let her know-"

"Silence!" the same guard shouted as he pushed Robbie down to the ground with his baton. Two other S.W.O.R.D. agents did the same to Daisy, even though she didn't say anything. Daisy felt the air forced out of her gut as she was brought down to her knees. 

"Stop hurting them!" Kobik shouted, "Stop hurting Mack and Elena's friends!" 

"Please, listen to her," Daisy coughed out. The agents refused to listen.

"How did the girl get loose," one of the agents asked her, his voice filled with anger, "How did a little girl manage to bypass Chief Tran's security systems and enter this place! Answer me, you filthy S.H.I.E.L.D. agent!" 

"I don't know! I've never even met this girl before-"

 _KE-RACK_! The guard hit Daisy with the baton again, knocking the air out once more.

"Please," Daisy forced out, "That little girl is going to hurt us all! You have to stop and listen to her before she-"

**"ENOUGH!"**

The whole room went quiet as Kobik shouted for everyone to stop. For a second, her voice deepened, almost sounding like she was speaking with the voices of six other people at the same time. 

**"STOP HURTING MY FRIENDS AND BEHAVE!"**

And just like that, all the S.W.O.R.D. agents who stormed into the room dropped to the ground. Daisy and Robbie were stunned. They could only watch as Kobik looked around, terrified at what she had done.

"Holy fish and chips," Robbie said as he walked around his cell, checking the bodies of the downed S.W.O.R.D. agents.

"I didn't mean to do this," Kobik said, terrified, "I just wanted them to behave and stop being mean." 

"Oh my god," Daisy said, "You killed them. You killed them all-"

"-no, she didn't kill us," said the S.W.O.R.D. agent who beat her with a baton, "My apologies for my earlier behavior, I'm not sure what came over me."

Daisy let out a yelp as the downed agents slowly got up to their feet, as if nothing had happened. The agent with the baton, along with the other agents, helped Daisy to help her feet and escorted her out of the room. As they did, she saw that Robbie was getting the same treatment.

"I'm sorry for the beatings, Miss Johnson," the agent with the baton said again, "Can I make it up with a back massage? It's my specialty."

As if that were the trigger, the other S.W.O.R.D. agents began offering their own ways to redeem themselves to both her and Robbie. Daisy heard 'foot massage', 'friendly game of chess', and 'pranking Abigail Brand' the most from the crowd. 

When Daisy caught Kobik's eye, she saw that the little girl was confused, looking at her hands as if she were shocked by her own power. Daisy couldn't blame her, she was still shocked. 

Somehow, the little girl changed the agents' personalities and she did it by just saying 'behave'. Daisy had seen plenty of strange things in her life but this one could easily be the strangest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No end-tag for this chapter. I think those last few seconds is enough of a cliffhanger. Also, I don't want to drag out the big reveal on who and what the Enlightened Society is but I also don't want to rush it. So if it seems like I'm dragging the main antagonist's big reveal out, trust me, I'm trying my best to pick up the pace. 
> 
> Also, after this one, I'm gonna try to shorten these chapters up. It's extremely draining having to write out eight full sections and while I do love writing this story, it's taking a lot out of me. So for my own health, I'm probably gonna restrict the next few chapters to 4-6 POV sections. Unless it's a big reveal of course, then it'll be 8-9. 
> 
> Fun fact: Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and the Futurist movement is real! Glad to be able to use my modern art class knowledge for this fic. 
> 
> Anyways, if you want, please leave a kudos and a comment!


	6. Logical Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taking a break from the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D., Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter encounter a major threat as we get an official introduction to the Big Bads of the season. The leaders of the Enlightened Society begin to move in on our heroes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of abuse, torture, and a nonconsensual sequence

_ IAN QUINN _

_Location: Undisclosed / one of several Enlightened Society hideouts_

_Year: 2017 (just two weeks after the end of season 4)_

 

_"Is she in there?"_

_Ian Quinn rubbed his hands nervously as the Enlightened Society member chuckled at him. "Yeah, she's in there," the guard said, "I'd start shaking in my boots if I were you."_

_"I already am," Quinn said. Life hasn't been so easy for Quinn ever since the fall of HYDRA a few years ago. He had gone on the run with the gravitonium and laid low in the years since. Of course, he had the occasional run-in with S.H.I.E.L.D., S.W.O.R.D., and even ex-HYDRA agents who wanted him dead but for the most part, he had gotten lucky. Truthfully, he thought life would be much easier now that S.H.I.E.L.D. has officially been disbanded. But in their place came S.W.O.R.D., an organization that went from being Earth's primary authority on cosmic issues to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s more brutal, less compassionate replacement._

_With S.W.O.R.D. breathing down on his neck, Quinn sought out help from the most unlikely of places; the Enlightened Society. He had learned about this organization from his time in HYDRA, with many of the leaders being wary of the organization. Raina described them as "a bunch of creepy scientists who you should avoid at all costs". But that was no longer an option, not with S.W.O.R.D. in the picture._

_To earn the Society's protection, he brought with him the gravitonium, hoping that it would be enough of a peace offering. In addition, he had a...second gift. One he found just a few days earlier. If the gravitonium wouldn't secure his safety, surely the second gift would._

_The doors opened and Quinn stepped inside. Two Enlightened Society members rolled in the two crates filled with Quinn's offerings and then stepped out once they finished. Quinn looked forward, not once looking away from the woman in front of him._

_Gwendolynn MacTavish. He had never heard of her but he knew her son, Leo Fitz. Quinn had only found the day before. The Society member who told him the details for the meet-up mentioned Gwendolynn by her married name, Gwendolynn Fitz, which led to Quinn doing some research on her. His research had led him to a TED talk that Fitz and Simmons held before they joined S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2013 and there she was, Gwendolynn Fitz, standing next to Leo in a photo op at the end of the TED talk._

_Quinn had so many questions. Did Fitz know about his mother's secret identity? Was Fitz part of this organization? Knowing just how intelligent the Fitzsimmons duo were, Quinn wouldn't be surprised if they were Enlightened Society members. Perhaps it was a S.H.I.E.L.D. quality for their agents to have a second life that they're keeping secret from their superiors and colleagues._

_"Ian Quinn," Gwendolynn said. Quinn could feel the sweat on the back of his neck. There was something about the woman's tone that unnerved him._

_"Yes?" Quinn said, unsure of what to say._

_"You tried to hurt my son, Leo."_

_"Wait...what? No, I didn't-"_

_"You worked for HYDRA. HYDRA tried to kill my son and his friends. In fact, you were close to the agent responsible for giving my son brain damage. If you try to deny your partnership with Grant Ward, I'll castrate you without anesthesia."_

_Ian Quinn gulped loudly. "Yes, I worked with Agent Ward," Quinn said, "I...uh...I heard he's dead now though. Plus, I left HYDRA a few years ago-"_

_"-I don't care if you left HYDRA. Don't try to separate yourself from their legacy, your fate is still very much tied to theirs. And I want to be clear that HYDRA agents are not welcome in the Enlightened Society. We don't tolerate their views, their beliefs are illogical and ingrained in a misguided viewpoint that humanity somehow is undeserving of free will. As if they could actually prove their pseudoscientific nonsense."_

_"Um...of course. You're absolutely right."_

_"Fun fact. S.H.I.E.L.D. thinks they're the only ones who went to war with HYDRA. Not true. The Enlightened Society has killed as many HYDRA agents as S.H.I.E.L.D. did. We just did it more discreetly. So unless if you have something worth offering to me, I'll just treat you like how we treat HYDRA around here-"_

_"No, no! I promise, I've brought something worth your attention."_

_"I'll be the judge of that. Show me."_

_Ian Quinn vigorously nodded his head as he walked over to the crates. Grabbing a crowbar that one of the guards placed on top of one of the crates, Quinn opened the crate containing the gravitonium. Gwendolynn walked over to inspect it. Gingerly, she ran her fingers across the device. She cracked a smile, surprised._

_"Gravitonium," Gwen said, "You know, I was friends with Dr. Franklin Hall, right? He was a high-ranking member of the Enlightened Society. We had a lot of good times together."_

_"How close were you two?" Quinn asked, immediately regretting the question. To his surprise, Gwen just laughed._

_"We were very close. Spent lots of nights together, trying to come up with new ways to change the world. Sometimes, I think it's fate that Hall ended up as one of Leo and Jemma's professors. He's inside this device, right?"_

_"Yes, that's correct." Franklin Hall had been trapped in the device since his run-in with S.H.I.E.L.D.. Quinn wondered if Hall was still alive and if he was, just how warped his mind would be from being stuck inside the device for years._

_"Good," Gwen said, "Not only did you give us the gravitonium but you have returned an old friend. Not bad, Quinn. Now...what about the second gift?"_

_"Um...I'm not sure how to describe it. You see...I found this thing a few days ago. He was seeking help since he had a run-in with S.H.I.E.L.D. and was on his own...like me. The reason why I think you'd be interested is...well, take a look for yourself."_

_Quinn walked over to the second crate and opened it after a few whacks with the crowbar. Gwen peered in and gasped at what she saw._

_It was a man's head inside a glass container. There was a device connected to the container which indicated the man's vitals. Somehow, despite him just being a head, he was alive._

_"His name is Anton Ivanov, also known as the Superior," Quinn said, "He told me that his head was separated by a robot named AIDA, who somehow kept him alive. He's been on the run since AIDA's defeat. I should let you know though that by the time I ran into him, his mind start deteriorating. Without AIDA's help, he won't be able to sustain this state for much longer. Like, the day after, he forgot his own name. He started just calling himself a **Mental Organism Designed Only for** **Killing**...or **M.O.D.O.K.** for short.So...I figured I'd bring him to you, as a way to help him and as an offering since I'm pretty sure you're wondering how he's still alive."_

_"I am interested," Gwen said with a sly smile, "Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, you say? And that his memories are starting to fade?"_

_"Exactly."_

_"Hmm...I do have something in mind for this one. Something I've been working on for the past few months. Leadership in the Enlightened Society has been a bit...poor these past few years. Holden Radcliffe, god rest his soul, was the last person I could rely on but he left a few years ago after his girlfriend came down with cancer. Andrew and Carmilla are great but they're young...still learning. I need someone who can embody the values of the Enlightened Society completely. Perhaps M.O.D.O.K. here could do that."_

_"Wait...what are you saying?"_

_Gwen turned to face Quinn, who instinctively took a step back. "Don't worry too much about that," she said, "You did good Quinn...you've earned my organization's protection."_

_Quinn braced himself for death. He'd seen this before in HYDRA. Instead, Gwen walked by him and ushered a guard inside the room to escort him to another part of the base. He let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps he could get used to this place. He already liked them better than HYDRA._

* * *

_ COULSON _

_Location: Jeffrey Mace's apartment, living room area_

_Year: 2016 (a few weeks before the start of season 4)_

 

_"Congratulations, Agent Black."_

_Director Jeffrey Mace and Phil Coulson cracked open their beer bottles as Agent Carmilla Black sat back on the couch, taking her shoes off and placing her feet on Mace's coffee table. Coulson shook Carmilla's hand while Mace just gave her a thumbs up. Simple but to the point._

_There was a special reason for celebrating. Carmilla Black was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s undercover agents, working to root out the last of HYDRA's forces. Despite HYDRA's official defeat a few months earlier, there were still pockets of resistance that Mace wanted to snuff out. Agent Black, who had gone inside a HYDRA splinter organization called "The Sons of the Red Skull", managed to take the entire organization down on her own and even killed their leader. For her work, Mace and Coulson decided to congratulate her personally._

_"Thank you for the kind words, chief," Carmilla said as she took a potato chip from the coffee table and ate it, "Another HYDRA cell bites the proverbial dust."_

_"Still a few more to go," Coulson said, taking a sip of his beer, "But that was the biggest and most problematic of the splinter groups. So again, thank you, job well done."_

_"You're too kind, Agent Coulson. I'm only doing my job."_

_BEEP. Mace checked his phone and sighed when he saw the message._

_"Darn it," he said as he put his bottle down, "Quake sighting in Cheyenne, Wyoming, of all places. I have to contact my agents in that area, see if we can intercept Daisy Johnson before she takes on the Watchdogs there."_

_"Need my help, Director?" Coulson asked. Deep down, he only wanted to help if it meant being able to talk to Daisy face-to-face. Mace waved him off._

_"I'm just taking a call," Mace said, "Unless you want me to bore you with the logistics of the operation and some other bureaucratic nonsense, you should just hang out here and enjoy your beer."_

_"Understood."_

_Mace excused himself and walked out as he contacted Maria Hill. As he left, Carmilla adjusted herself on the couch, giving Coulson a strange look. Coulson only looked back at her, not sure what to say._

_"How you doing, Phil?" Carmilla said. Coulson wasn't sure how to interpret her tone. Inquisitive? Concerned? Seductive? No don't get ahead of yourself, Coulson thought to himself, she's just concerned. Besides, she may be attractive but she's young enough to be your daughter for God's sake, don't go down this road._

_"I'm doing fine," Coulson said. As he said that, he noticed that he began sweating. He wasn't sure where it was coming from but he knew that it wasn't because the room was hot. Mace, for some reason, could tolerate the cold._

_"I bet you are," Carmilla said, pushing herself up on the couch, "You look...nervous."_

_"I'm not, it just got hot in here all of a sudden."_

_"Hmm...I wonder what the reason for that is? Could it be because of me?"_

_What's she planning here? Coulson coughed, uncomfortable at the situation, and stood up to go to the bathroom. Before he could reach the door, Carmilla stood up and blocked his path. She was dangerously close to him and now, Coulson was sweating profusely._

_"Where you going?" Carmilla asked, smiling deviously. Coulson began walking backwards as Carmilla stepped forward, staying close to Coulson's face as much as possible._

_"I just need to splash some water on my face," Coulson lied._

_"Is it because you're sweating? I noticed. A bit surprised it took this long for the venom to work. Perhaps I need to work on the potency."_

_Hold on, POISON? Coulson backed up into the wall. With nowhere to go, Carmilla began tracing her fingers on his chest. The more she ran her fingers along his body, the worse his sweating became._

_"It's a new venom I'm working on," Carmilla said._

_"But how did you...when did you-"_

_"-when did I inject the poison into your bloodstream? Well...ever since I was young, I had this certain...power. You know why my nickname is 'Scorpion'?"_

_Coulson nodded his head. Agent Black was known for her use of poisons and drugs. Some were lethal, others produced other effects such as dizziness or only being able to tell the truth. She earned the nickname 'Scorpion' since she was known to 'bite' people like a scorpion._

_"Yes," Coulson struggled to say, "It's because you have an affinity for poison."_

_Carmilla laughed at that, "Most people don't know that I AM the poison. I'm not an Inhuman...in reality, I'm not sure what you can classify me as. All I know is that I've been able to create different types of venom ever since I could recite the alphabet. And the real reason why I'm the 'Scorpion' is that I have my own stinger."_

_Carmilla raised her left arm. Her fingernails were long and sharp but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary._

_"My secret weapon...most people won't know what hit them. You don't even feel the prick but they'll know that they were hit once the venom starts working."_

_"But," Coulson said, suddenly realizing what was happening, "When did you-"_

_"Just a few minutes ago, when I shook your hand. It's an interesting poison by the way. Works both on men and women. Designed to create...attraction. Or at the very least, compel someone to lose control since they have the sudden urge for sexual release. Also doesn't matter what the person's sexual orientation is. Once they feel the poison, they'll feel the need to get their release...one way or another."_

_"I don't understand, why would you do this to me!?"_

_Coulson's spine shivered as Carmilla began running her fingers down towards his stomach. She smiled as she brought her lips as close as possible to Coulson's without touching. Coulson felt his brain throbbing. His body was close to betraying him since the urge to just kiss Carmilla was growing._

_"Because it's been quite a few weeks since I've had any action," Carmilla said, "And this is the only way I could get anything from you since you're too busy looking at Melinda May. And really, Phil...she's much too old for you."_

_"This is wrong...I'm old enough to be your dad, damn it."_

_"Age is just a number. You're 54...I'm 20. I've always been more into older men. And besides, I thought old men like you prefer their ladies young."_

_"Damn it, Carmilla, get away from me!"_

_"I won't do anything...because in the next two minutes, you'll have no choice but to do it yourself. And you can't say anything to Director Mace since you can't prove anything. But I promise you, Coulson...you'll enjoy it-"_

_"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?" Mace shouted._

_Carmilla and Coulson turned to Mace, who was pointing an ICER right at Carmilla. "YOU BETTER EXPLAIN YOURSELF," he continued. Carmilla just rolled her eyes._

_"Nothing, Director Mace," Carmilla said nonchalantly, "Just messing around with Agent Coulson here. Apparently, I misjudged the potency of the poison since Phil is doing a pretty good job at resisting the effects."_

_"Jeffrey, help me, please," Coulson said, struggling with each word. Carmilla was right. He was trying his best but in the next two minutes, he wouldn't be able to resist the impulse to give Carmilla what she wanted._

_"Carmilla, I'm ordering you to reverse what you just did," Mace said, calmer. With the ICER aimed right at her face, Carmilla tapped Coulson on the chest with her left hand. Immediately, the urges that Coulson was resisting against disappeared and the sweating went back to normal._

_"You're no fun," Carmilla said, her arms crossed, "I just got done taking down a HYDRA cell and I don't get the chance to just enjoy myself?"  
_

_"You were coercing me to do this," Coulson shouted, "Jesus Christ, don't you have any decency!?" Carmilla rolled her eyes again as she walked over to the couch to put her shoes on. She then walked over to the door, Mace's gun still aimed at her._

_"I'm leaving," Carmilla said, "Mother needs me back home anyways. Just call me if you need my help."_

_"Hang on, you can't just leave," Mace shouted out, "Not after what you did to Agent Coulson."_

_"So I'm assuming I'm fired for this then? Good...I don't need this organization anyways. It's your loss."_

_Carmilla tried opening the door but Mace stepped in and pushed her back. "_ _You're gonna stay here," Mace said, still angry, "And tomorrow, we'll need to address your behavior to the board-"_

_SCHWICK! Mace screamed as Carmilla took out a blade hidden in one of her sleeves and stabbed Mace through his wrist. Mace dropped his ICER and Carmilla kicked it away. Coulson, having recovered from the poison, stood up and grabbed the ICER, aiming it right at Carmilla's head._

_"Let Mace go!" Coulson shouted._

_"You S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are so ungrateful. I was just trying to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now."_

_"Carmilla, I'm giving you a count to three before I take you down-"_

_"-no you won't. This is what's going to happen. Either you rush after me and Mace dies from blood loss...or you tend to Mace's wrist and let me go. I suggest you choose wisely here, Agent Coulson, since I doubt Simmons, Nadeer, and the rest of Mace's inner circle will be happy to see the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. dead. Just saying...there's a lot of veins in the wrist, he won't last very long without medical help."_

_"We treated you well...and this is how you repay us?"_

_"That was your mistake, Coulson. Always thinking that the agents who join will be united under some false sense of family or brother and sisterhood. Not everyone shares your perspective. Maybe instead of treating S.H.I.E.L.D. as your second family, you should start treating it like the shady organization that it was always meant to be. We're all shady...some of us are just more open with our behavior."_

_"Obviously."_

_"Anyways...I have a plane to catch in the morning. Mother needs to see me. If you haven't made a decision by now, you should really start considering your options. Me...or Mace. Choose wisely."_

_SCHWICK! Carmilla pulled her knife out and exited the front door. Mace collapsed to the ground, holding onto his wrist as Coulson ran over to him to create a makeshift tourniquet. Quickly, he grabbed Mace's phone and called May for help. Carmilla would have to wait in the morning._

* * *

_ FITZ _

_Location: Somewhere in the Forest of Ae, Scotland_

_Year: 1997 (Leo Fitz is 10 years old)_

 

_"Leo, we shouldn't be here"_

_Fitz shushed Roxanne down as they hid behind a bush in order to observe the scene. They were both in enough trouble as it was. Gwendolynn had told Fitz that she and dad would be out of town for a couple of days. In the past, Fitz wouldn't have cared but after seeing his parents argue and fight these past few months, he was beginning to worry about them. So when his mother told him that he would be staying with the Sutherland family for a couple of days, he decided to follow his gut and track his parents down. Luckily for him, he found out where his mother was going from a memo he found in the bathroom. Forest of Ae, a few miles from home. To get there, he decided to hitchhike. Hopefully, drivers would be kind to a little boy asking for help._

_It was extremely dangerous and reckless. To make matters worse, Roxanne found out about his plan and tagged along. He had to give her credit for this; all of his other friends would've told him he was crazy and to go home. Roxanne, however, didn't even hesitate when she said she was going with him. If there was ever a competition that would rank someone's friends, Roxanne would easily win first place._

_Still, he couldn't help but wonder if they did make a mistake by coming to this place. As soon as their driver dropped them off, they came across an encampment filled with hooded figures. Fitz and Roxanne immediately hid behind the closest bush and watched as the scene before them unfolded. Fitz had to stifle a gasp when he saw his father in the middle of the crowd. His mother was standing before him, a scalpel at hand._

_"Today, you kneel before the Enlightened Society...disgraced," Gwendolynn said, her tone harsh, "You've always been a thorn at my side but this...you've forced my hand here, Alistair. You knew the risks of your actions and instead of listening to logic, you chose to follow your wicked heart."_

_"Gwen, I'm sorry," Alistair said, tears rolling down his face as two Enlightened Society members behind him started to laugh. Gwendolynn Fitz raised her hands, silencing the laughter._

_"Alistair," Gwen said, venom in her tone, "That's all you can say? You're sorry?"_

_"I promise, I'll make it up to Leopold. I'll be a better father. I'll tell Connie never to come by the house again! I'll stop drinking-"_

_"Oh my god, shut up! You still think this is about you being a terrible father? For cheating on me? For your drinking? Those are problems for a divorce...not for this. Do you not realize what you did?!"_

_Fitz began to take deep breaths to calm himself as his mother raised her scalpel right up to Alistair's neck. He couldn't believe it, why would mom want to kill dad! He wanted to run in, to stop the madness, but he was glued to his spot. Besides, what could he do when there were ten other people helping Gwen, all armed to the teeth._

_"Gwen, please," Alistair said, his vision blurry from crying, "Please don't kill me-"  
_

_"All my hard work, the years I put into this damn project. All the research, all the discoveries...everything I had is now undone because of YOU. Because YOU sold our piece of the Cosmic Cube to Roxxon! And not only to Roxxon, but to the Simmons family. Some of the most self-absorbed, entitled, high-class privileged assholes I’ve ever met in my entire life. You think they’re gonna put the Cosmic Cube shard to good use?"_

_"I thought it was just a gem, I didn't know-"_

_"-of course you didn't, you drunken lump of garbage. You know how difficult it is to just find a piece of the Cosmic Cube? You know how many people I've killed...how many people died just to keep the piece of the Cosmic Cube in our hands!? And you sold it to the Simmons family?"_

_"But we'll be well off for the rest of our lives, Gwen!"_

_"I don't care about the goddamn money, Alistair! Do you not know how important the Cosmic Cube is to the world? To the future?! You ruined everything I worked for, I sacrificed for!"_

_"Please don't kill me!"_

_Gwen held the scalpel right up to Alistair's neck. Fitz and Roxanne held their breaths as Gwen contemplated on slicing Alistair's throat. After thirty seconds of just standing there, lightly tapping his skin with the tip of the blade, Gwen put the scalpel down and stepped back. Fitz and Roxanne let out a sigh of relief._

_"No," Gwen said, tossing the blade away, "That's too easy for you."_

_"Thank you, Gwen," Alistair said, sweat beading down his face, "I promise I'll make it up to you-"_

_CRACK!_

_Fitz and Roxanne screamed as Alistair was cut off by Gwen, who came rushing back to him with a hammer at hand. Alistair fell to the ground with a thud, screaming for Gwen to stop, as she began pounding his face in with the hammer. The scalpel would've been quick. Gwen wanted him to suffer before he died._

_As she continued pounding away at his face, two Enlightened Society members snuck up behind Fitz and Roxanne and dragged them down to the scene. They tried to kick and scream their way loose but it was no good. Both of them were shoved to the ground, frozen in fear._

_After plunging her hammer down to Alistair's face one last time, Gwendolynn stood up and threw the hammer away. Three Enlightened Society members dragged Alistair's body away as Gwen walked over to the two children, displeased. Another Society member walked up to Gwen, concern on his face._

_"Leo, Roxanne," Gwen said, "You two aren't supposed to be here."_

_"Mum, what did you just do!" Fitz shouted. He still couldn't process what he just witnessed. Gwen sighed, reluctant to explain her actions. Not sure what to say, the man next to Gwen spoke up._

_"Gwen," he said, "You know that the council won't like this. These two may be yours and Lydia's children but they are still children."_

_"You don't think I know that, Holden? I know the punishment for leaking our organization's activities." Gwen paused, forming a solution in her head. She then said, "Take them to the Pit and wipe their memories. Make sure this entire week never happened for them."_

_"Mum, what are you saying!?" Fitz shouted. Roxanne started crying next to him, the situation starting to overwhelm her. Radcliffe walked over to directly face Gwen, unhappy with her solution._

_"No, Gwen," he said, "They're too young."_

_"We wipe people all the time-"_

_"-adults, Gwen, we wipe the memories of adults. You've seen the effects of the machine on the Winter Soldiers! Even the most resilient of the supersoldiers could hardly stand the pain from the procedures! And you're going to put your son through that? Lydia's daughter through that? Have you no decency?"_

_Gwen slapped Holden right on his cheek. He stepped back as Gwen stepped up, her expression stone cold. It sent shivers down Fitz's spine to see his mother this way._

_"Don't you ever question my actions," Gwen said, "This is my son, that means I have primary authority over how he's treated. And if I say he needs to have his memory wiped, then he'll get his memory wiped."_

_"It's unethical! They're just children-"_

_"-nothing is unethical. Get that through your thick skull. Besides...it's not like they'll remember what happened to them anyways."_

_"What kind of parent are you?"_

_"What kind of parent am I? The one that Leo's going to remember as 'the good one'. Because daddy dearest left us in a drunken stupor, off to drink himself to death in some far-off brothel, never to be seen again."_

_"That's not true!" Fitz shouted. Angered by his outburst, Gwen slapped Fitz across his face, sending him back to Roxanne. Roxanne retaliated by standing up and trying to attack Gwen. Radcliffe held her back, which turned out to be a mistake; Roxanne bit down hard on his hand, causing him to let go as blood dripped from the bite marks. Before Roxanne could attack Gwen again, another Enlightened Society member knocked her out with a strong blow to the back of her head. Fitz caught Roxanne before she hit the ground._

_"Mum, why are you doing this!?" Fitz screamed, tears running down his face. Gwen rolled her eyes as she knelt down to look at him dead in the eyes. Fitz couldn't look away, afraid of what she could do next._

_"You wouldn't understand. Maybe when you're older, I'll tell you why I am this way. But for now, you needn't worry about matters too advanced for your age. Tomorrow, you'll wake up, not remembering any of this. Take that as a good thing."_

_"Mum...you killed dad. How am I supposed to-"_

_"-Like I said, don't worry about it. You won't remember any of this. Peters, Danielson, Piazza...take these two and wipe them clean. If anyone else gives me shit for putting my son through this procedure...you know what happens to people who piss me off. Think of Upham before you even think about questioning my actions."_

_The Enlightened Society members she was talking to shook their heads and grabbed the kids as Radcliffe looked away, disgusted by her actions. As Fitz screamed for his mom to help him, he saw her turn around and walk away, as if he meant nothing to her. He never liked his father...but suddenly, he began to realize that his mother was far worse._

_It was a shame that he and Roxanne couldn't remember any of this the following day._

* * *

_ UNSEEN CLASSIFIED MISSION (now declassified under S.W.O.R.D.'s new management) _

_Location: S.H.I.E.L.D. convoy in Chile_

_Year: 2015 (a few weeks after the start of season 3)_

 

_The S.H.I.E.L.D. convoy made its way through dense jungle, approaching the helipad that would take them back to the main headquarters. They were transporting only one criminal (some might even say terrorist); Andrew Forson, also known as 'The Scientist Supreme'. Andrew was on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most wanted list, infamous for his extremely unethical experimentation on humans and animals, and for partaking in several other illegal activities, such as smuggling and the black market. After getting a tip from their allies in Chile, Mack, Hunter, May, and Daisy were able to corner Forson. Although there were more pressing issues for the group, such as containing the Inhuman outbreak, getting Forson off the streets was still a plus for the organization._

_Mack observed the man, who was being held down to his seat by steel restraints. When he learned about Andrew, he was expecting a small, skinny scientist. Maybe someone along the lines of Fitz and Simmons. What they got instead was a body-builder. Mack had encountered plenty of men and women with larger-than-life bodies but this Forson fellow was enormous. It terrified Mack, just thinking of getting into a fight with the man._

_The four of them had their own theories about why Andrew Forson was so large. Mack guessed steroids. Hunter guessed some voodoo ritual that granted strength. May guessed a crude version of Captain America's super-soldier serum. Daisy guessed he was Inhuman._

_"We there yet?" Hunter asked, shifting a little in his seat. Daisy rolled her eyes as she drank her soda._

_"We'll get there when we get there," Daisy shouted, "Just relax."_

_"Yes, relax from your journey," Andrew said, getting the group's attention, "You must be pretty tired, catching one person. Must've been so difficult."_

_"Yeah, here I was expecting a fight, and instead I get an easy payday," Daisy said, grinning, "It's honestly funny to me that you were on the run this long."_

_"You don't think the rumors about me are true?"_

_"Nope. I mean...I would've but not from what I saw." Andrew scoffed at that as he moved his wrists a bit in his restraints. Mack kept a close eye, ready to strike if something were to happen. He doubted it but you never knew._

_"Let me ask you a question," Daisy said, leaning forward in her seat._

_"I may have an answer to your question."_

_"Right. Now, we've faced plenty of guys before you with questionable goals. When I first started, it was HYDRA. Then, I met my mom and dad, who all had their own goals. But you're the first one I've met that I haven't been able to pin down. So why all the experiments? Why did you commit all these human rights violations?"_

_"Why? Does it matter?"_

_"Um...yes. Why wouldn't it?"_

_"You say that I committed human rights violations but what defines a violation? What defines human rights? You may view what I did as abominations, that I perverted nature with my experiments. But you fail to ask yourselves why you think my actions are wrong in the first place."_

_"Wow...a philosopher. Here I was expecting Arnold Schwarzenegger 2.0."_

_"I was thinking more along the lines of Dolph Lundgren due to his IQ and degrees in chemical engineering. And yes, I am a philosopher. I ask these questions because in humanity's attempt at trying to make sense of the world around us, we have repeatedly made illogical decisions that have now been commonly accepted. When you say that my actions are wrong, you're basing it on the values of people whose viewpoints may not be accepted by everyone, such as myself. How can you make a judgment on me, on anyone really, when you're basing it on something as subjective as morality. It's a cancer to society, the need to point out when something is morally wrong and to rebel against it. Because moral outrage works for all sides of the spectrum. The things that a person on the far left would find offensive would most likely be inoffensive to someone on the far right. So to judge me as morally wrong...you are only speaking for yourself and other people who share your values. If you really wish to insult my name, instead, judge me objectively, through logic. Maybe that way, you'll find the answer you're looking for."_

_"What the bloody hell is this loon talking about?" Hunter interjected._

_"Logic, my friend. Logic is the true answer to saving this wretched world from the ignorance."_

_"Now aren't you being subjective when you say stuff like that," Daisy said, smiling._

_"Your sass is duly noted. But this isn't opinion, Agent Johnson, this is fact. I think it's fair to say that the world would be much better off if people relied more on logic and freethinking. There isn't enough of that in the world. You can see it just in the way people act in the media...in politics...in public. Society is ruled by the ignorant and you don't even have to look hard to find proof. Tell me, why is it that when it comes to issues of the female body, especially regarding reproduction, the decisions are usually in the hands of men who'll never experience the issues they are discussing. Why is it that people are still willing to believe in made-up gods in the skies, with no proof in their existence whatsoever. Why is it that so many people are not concerned with the oversaturation in media, to the point that it's become difficult to sort out the news that people should know versus the news that won't affect their lives. Why politicians still concern themselves with issues not relevant to their region, why certain communities would ban sex education to children who'll need it in the future, and on and on and on. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the ignorance, of the stupidity that floods my screen every day and every night. It's like a splinter in the back of mind and it goes deeper into my psyche every time I encounter another reason to hate humanity."_

_"You'd get along with HYDRA greatly," Mack said at the end of Andrew's speech. He had to admit...he may not agree with every point but the man did make him think._

_Andrew laughed at Mack's statement. "Actually...HYDRA hates me and the rest of my people. But I don't care...HYDRA are just as illogical as the rest of this world. They're just too blind to see it."_

_"That much we can agree on."_

_"Thank you. Now, going back to Agent Johnson's question about my so-called human rights violations, I have my reasons for the various experiments I'm responsible for. What are they? I'll keep that to myself for now. But I will say why I let S.H.I.E.L.D. capture me."_

_At that, Mack, Daisy, Hunter, and May readied themselves on instinct. Daisy held her hand up, ready to blast Andrew into pieces if he tried anything._

_"Why?" Mack said._

_"Because I need to kill the man in charge of the PMCs that S.H.I.E.L.D. hired to capture me. And you brought him right to me."_

_BOOM! Before Mack could ask another question, the truck they were in tipped over after a RPG hit the side. Mack's vision went blurry for a second as the agents recovered. Then, much to Mack's horror and surprise, Andrew ripped off the restraints as if they were paper._

_Just how strong is this guy, Mack thought as he took out his handgun and opened fire. Andrew shrugged them off as he punched a hole to the top of the truck and stepped outside. Hunter picked up the deflected bullets, stunned._

_"They just...bounced right off of him," Hunter said, "See, I told you this is voodoo!"_

_"Shut up and stop that guy!" May shouted. The four of them exited the truck and stepped right into a battleground. The other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and the PMCs were taking cover as the mysterious force continued firing at them from the jungle. The four agents moved from cover to cover, avoiding the gunfire as much as they could._

_At the front of the convoy, Mack saw Andrew lifting the PMC leader by his throat. He couldn't hear what he was saying but judging from the PMC leader's facial expressions, it couldn't be good. There was no time to save the man; in one quick motion, Andrew squeezed the PMC leader's neck and crushed the man's spine. Daisy growled in frustration as Andrew dropped the PMC leader to the ground._

_"FREEZE!" Daisy shouted as she ran towards Andrew. She sent out a quake blast at him, hoping to drop the man. She was shocked when Andrew not only took the blast but started walking towards her, absorbing the quake._

_"Your abilities are impressive, Agent Johnson," Andrew said, "But your reliance on your powers is your ultimate downfall. It's always beneficial to understand your opponents before fighting them and trust me, you were the first one I did my research on."_

_Andrew grabbed Daisy's hand and punched her right on the face. The force of the blow nearly knocked her out as Andrew tossed Daisy like a ragdoll. She hit the ground with a hard thud._

_Hunter and May charged in while Mack stayed back, firing shots at Andrew's chest. Once again, the bullets did no damage. May then tossed in several punches and kicks before Andrew managed to grab her leg._

_"Ah, the great Melinda May," Andrew said, grinning, "Age has treated you well in terms of your looks...but not your strength and speed. You're telegraphing your kicks. I expect more from a fighter of your caliber."_

_May used her other leg to kick Andrew, which was just to free her foot. However, this backfired when Andrew grabbed her other foot and tossed her to the side, giving May the same ragdoll treatment that he gave Daisy._

_Hunter came in next, trying a few punches and kicks of his own before getting punched in the gut once by Andrew. All the air in his lungs were forced out from one blow as he collapsed to the ground._

_"Is that the best you can do, Agent Hunter," Andrew said, "You're former S.A.S. and yet your performance is more akin to an out-of-shape prizefighter. Does S.H.I.E.L.D. just naturally recruit washed-up has-beens?"_

_"Asshole," Hunter choked out as he stood up and went after Andrew again. Even with May and Mack's help, it was no good. Mack was throwing knockout punches left and right, tiring himself as he did, but Andrew took them all as if they were insignificant._

_"Yes, continue to wear yourself out, Agent MacKenzie," Andrew said as Mack stepped back to catch his breath, "Ever watch Muhammad Ali's 1974 fight with George Foreman? If you did, you should know exactly why your technique will only lead to your defeat-"_

_HICC! Daisy gasped as Andrew suddenly turned around and grabbed her by the neck. She tried to sneak up behind him but somehow, he heard her before she was able to shoot a quake blast._

_"This is the best that S.H.I.E.L.D. has to offer? What a joke. If the four of you can't defeat me, what makes you think you can defeat the rest of us?"_

_"Us?" Daisy managed to say despite his hand around her neck. Before Andrew could do anything, Mack slammed right into Forson, causing him to drop Daisy. He didn't fall over like Mack expected but at least he was able to save Daisy. Andrew responded by punching Mack in the throat and tossing him right at Melinda. Both of them hit the ground with a hard thud. To just add insult to injury, Andrew punched Hunter again, picked him up, and slammed him right on Mack and May. Mack swore that at least one bone in his body was broken from just how much pain he was in._

_"That was pathetic. Since my mission was only to kill Fernando, I'll leave the four of you alive. Hopefully, if we see each other again, the four of you may be able to provide an actual challenge. Until then...take care."_

_Andrew walked away as the fighting stopped. With the scene turning back to normal, Mack stood up and helped May and Hunter to their feet. Daisy stood up on her own, trying to catch her breath after being nearly strangled to death._

_"Mates...that sucked," Hunter said, feeling his ribs._

_"Coulson's not gonna be happy about this," Mack said._

_"He's alright got enough to deal with from the ATCU," Daisy said, "Right now, let's get this situation contained. We'll get Andrew one of these days."_

* * *

BOBBI MORSE

Location: Cafe in Dubai 

 

"How much do you trust this guy?"

Ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Bobbi Morse shook her head for 'not much'. Lance Hunter nodded his head at that, expecting that would be her answer. That was usually how their jobs went ever since they went on the run. Everyone was untrustworthy and at least half the time, their clients tried betraying them. After the first two months on their own, Bobbi and Hunter decided to form their own group of mercs, comprised of people they could rely on. They had no chance of surviving if they remained just the two of them. After months of building up their forces, the Bobbi & Hunter's Badass Commandos became a well-known and feared mercenary organization, always fighting for the people and only serving clients whose interests didn't conflict with their views. Hunter used to complain that they were losing out on major contracts because of how picky they were but it worked out well in the end.  

The official name for the group was "The Mockingbirds" but Hunter insisted on "Bobbi & Hunter's Badass Commandos".

Right now, they were waiting for their latest client, a local man named Farid. Apparently, he had some cargo that needed protection. He wouldn't reveal that much about the cargo, besides the fact that they would be taking a huge risk in taking it. 

After a few more minutes of waiting, Farid arrived at the cafe with a briefcase at hand and immediately sat down at Bobbi and Hunter's table. He was disheveled, as if he didn't have a good night's sleep. Bobbi pushed forward a cup of coffee she had ordered earlier and Farid drank it down. Just from the way he downed the drink, Bobbi could tell he was anxious.

"Sorry for being late," Farid said, "I was dealing with some...other business."

"Not a worry, mate," Hunter said, taking a bite out of his apple, "So, what's this cargo we'll be transporting?"

"Um...it's not just a 'this'...it's a 'her'. And this 'her' is carrying items that apparently, a lot of people want."

"What kind of people?" Bobbi said, studying Farid's words carefully.

"For one...S.W.O.R.D.. Just a week ago, the girl was able to escape S.W.O.R.D.'s forces thanks to my friend, Robbie. They had sent down the agent known as 'Quake' to capture her."

 _Wait...DAISY?_ Bobbi's eyes perked up as she looked at Hunter, who had the same surprised expression.

"Hmm...so you met the Quake?" Farid asked.

"We used to work together," Bobbi said, "I guess she's turned over a new leaf nowadays since she's working for S.W.O.R.D.. She used to be a good woman...now she's off trying to assassinate U.S. military officers. Guess you really don't know a person until they show off their true colors." Bobbi and Hunter were still in shock over the news that Daisy attempted to assassinate Glenn Talbot. To think, they once considered S.H.I.E.L.D. their friends but now they knew they were just as corrupt as everyone else they've encountered. Learning Daisy delivered the shot hurt the most since they considered her as one of the 'good ones'. 

"This is turning out to be more personal than I thought," Hunter said.

"No it's not. It's just a job, like every other job we've taken. So we take the girl in and whatever items she's carrying and we keep her safe from S.W.O.R.D.. Sounds easy enough."

"It's not just S.W.O.R.D. that's after her," Farid said, "The items she's carrying...Robbie Reyes stole them from an organization he was hunting down. The 'Enlightened Society', that's what we were able to figure out. This is the real reason why I need your help. This Society...I don't know what they are but I know they're everywhere. I can't step outside my home anymore without turning around to make sure I'm not being watched."

"How do you know you're being watched?" Bobbi asked.

"Just things that I've noticed. A little boy who I've never seen before started playing this game on my street with his friends. When I walked over to ask them what they were doing, they just scattered. I haven't seen them since. And I know this sounds like I'm just jumping conclusions but there are other situations where people just popped up, people who I've never seen before. They're in the convenience stores, the metro station, at work...I can't prove it but I KNOW I'm being watched."

"Alright mate," Hunter said, "No need to go any further. Just pay us and we'll take the girl off your hands."

Farid nodded his head at that. He lifted the briefcase and pushed it towards Bobbi and Hunter. Bobbi, making sure no one was watching, carefully opened the case. Inside was the payment; د.إ183625 dirhams, which was equivalent to $50,000 dollars. Bobbi then closed the case and handed it to Hunter.

"Take us to the girl," Bobbi said.

Farid stood up and Bobbi and Hunter followed suit. The three of them exited the cafe and into the busy street, moving past bystanders just trying to make their way through the city. Farid stepped over to a beat-up looking van and opened it. Inside, a Latina woman was texting on her phone. She was startled at the sight of two people she didn't recognize.

"Lisa," Farid said, "These are the mercs that I mentioned, Barbara Morse and Lance Hunter. Don't call Barbara by her name though, call her Bobbi. Oh and Bobbi and Hunter, this is Lisa Ortega. She's the Ghost Rider's sidekick."

"I'm not his sidekick, I'm the brains of Team Rider," Lisa scoffed. She exited the van and took with her a duffel bag and a rolled-up banner. 

"Okay, this is where my part in the job ends," Farid said, "Good luck, my friends. Make sure nothing happens to her."

"That's what you paid us to do, Farid," Bobbi said. She shook his hand before he got into the van and drove off. 

With the girl in their possession, Bobbi and Hunter began leading her to their own car. First, they were going to get her back to the base to keep her safe. Then, they would assess the situation and figure out just how much danger this Lisa girl was in.

As they walked, Bobbi said, "So...you're friends with the Ghost Rider?"

"Yes," Lisa said enthusiastically, "I help Robbie from time to time. Gotta stop the supernatural from destroying the world and all."

"Oh bloody hell, first Inhumans and now actual demons from hell," Hunter said, rolling his eyes, "I miss the days when it was just HYDRA and a bunch of shady figures."

"Same," Bobbi said, "So, what can you tell us about the duffel bag and the banner?"

"Um...I'm not sure yet," Lisa said, "When Robbie showed up with the bag, there was nothing but dust inside. Robbie says the dust has some weird, magical properties or something but I haven't gotten it to do anything. And the banner, well, Farid told you about it, right?"

"The Enlightened Society, right?"

"Right."

"Never heard of them. Sounds like a bunch of wannabe HYDRA stooges."

"Well...if HYDRA were a bunch of creepy cultists who talk about creating unholy forms of life."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about the weird stuff that Robbie told me about this group." 

"Well, feel free to tell me and Hunter all about it since we need to know everything you can tell us about this bag, this organization that's chasing you, why S.W.O.R.D. wants you, and any other important information. We need to know what we're getting into in order to protect you."

 

 

As Bobbi and Hunter approached their car, a man from far away observed their movements, casually sipping his coffee to avoid drawing suspicion. Without missing a beat, he took out his phone and texted a single message to his superiors;

"FOUND THE GIRL. GREEN NISSAN ALTIMA. LICENSE PLATE I 091313. TWO OTHERS WITH HER. BLONDE WOMAN, SHORT-HAIRED MAN. MERCENARIES. APPROACH WITH CAUTION." 

* * *

BOBBI

Location: Bobbi and Hunter's mercenary group's headquarters, outskirts of Dubai

 

Several hours later...

 

"The modern day name is 'The Enlightened Society' but they were founded as 'Società Dello Scienziato Supremo' in the 1900s by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti."

Bobbi slurped up her ramen noodles as she scrolled down the conspiracy theory website. Now that they had some downtime, she, Hunter, and Lisa began looking into the Enlightened Society. What they found was...disappointing. Both Bobbi and Hunter were expecting something along the lines of HYDRA, an ancient organization that was hellbent on destroying the world. Instead, the Enlightened Society were more along the lines of geniuses who only wanted to change the world for the better.

Hunter called them 'the underground society of nerds', which Bobbi rolled her eyes at.

On the website, Bobbi was at least able to make one discovery. The three S's that made up the banner stood for the organization's real name, 'Society of the Scientist Supreme'. Aside from that, nothing else that was worth mentioning. 

"You think Fitz and Simmons are involved?" Hunter asked as he flipped through the TV to find the football channel, "I mean, they are the smartest people I've ever met."

"Maybe."

"Who are Fitz and Simmons?" Lisa asked.

"Former friends of ours," Bobbi said, "Back when we were S.H.I.E.L.D.. I'm assuming they're S.W.O.R.D. agents now, working with Daisy."

"Oh, in that case I hate them."

If Bobbi had heard someone say that months ago, she would've slapped them across the face. But now, she was inclined to agree. Screw their old friends for joining S.W.O.R.D., they didn't need them anyways. 

"Take it easy on those two," Hunter said, trying to lighten the mood, "I'd say out of the old group, they were my favorite. I'm sure they're just as adorable as when we last saw them."

"So if they approved of Daisy's attack on Glenn Talbot, would you still like them?" Bobbi asked.

"If they approved of the attack, I'd hug them on the spot because that guy was a prick."

"I can't believe you just said that-"

"-I was kidding, Bob, of course I'd be upset with them. But everyone has their reasons. No one just turns over a new leaf. So if the old gang is working with Brand, the green-haired she-devil, then they must have a solid reason if they aren't being brainwashed. Just have faith in them Bob."

"Faith. That word lost its meaning with me a long time ago. 'Just have faith in the Carruther family, they'll keep their part of the deal'. 'Just have faith in the Ten Rings, they'll hand over our mercenaries without a scratch on their heads'. 'Just have faith in S.H.I.E.L.D., they'll talk to Jeffrey Mace and get them to clear our names-'"

"-alright, i get your point Bob. You know, it's honestly strange that I'm the optimist now and you're the cynic."

"Well, life hasn't been so great these past few years so forgive me if I'm not as welcoming of this lifestyle as you are."

Hunter waved her off as she stood up to throw her empty ramen container away. As she did, she grabbed the duffel bag that Lisa brought with her and opened it. Lisa joined her while Hunter stayed glued to the couch, cheering on his favorite teams.

"Alright," Bobbi said, "We have a lot of...dust. Sand, whatever. Now, what did this Robbie Reyes person say happened when he touched the dust?"

"Well, he didn't touch the dust," Lisa said, "He said a single grain hit the ground and it caused this strange...event where all the lights and fires on the street went out. He said that it felt like reality changed."

"Reality changed? I don't get it."

"Um...think of it like this. If I blow out a fire, that doesn't erase the fact that a fire was just there. Robbie said it felt like the fires  _never even happened_. That the lights didn't just go out but that they were never on to begin with."

"Wow, that's bizarre. And you can't get it to do anything else?"

"I've tried my best! I've tried recreating the scenario, I've tried just grabbing a handful of the sand but nothing!"

"Hmm...let me try." 

Bobbi reached in and took a single speck of sand. She inspected it and saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was clear and irregularly shaped but outside of that, it was just a normal piece of sand. She flicked it back into the bag...and that's when it happened.

Bobbi and Lisa stepped back as the dust magically reformed itself. The lights in the room went out, as well as the TV. Hunter groaned loudly.

"Oh come on, France was about to score!" Hunter whined, "Hang on, let me check the generator-"

"Hunter, stop!" Bobbi whispered. 

"What, what's happening-" Hunter stopped talking when he saw the bag. The three of them peered in and were surprised to see that the dust had reformed itself into a shard. It was a long, jagged gem that looked like a piece of diamond. Gingerly, Lisa reached in and grabbed the shard. When she did, the shard started to glow, white light illuminating hers, Bobbi, and Hunter's faces. 

"It's beautiful," Lisa whispered.

"Lisa, are you okay?" Bobbi asked, concerned.

"I'm fine...it's just...I see a lot of things. I think the shard is trying to...tell me something."

"Um...gems don't talk," Hunter said, "Last time I checked, gems aren't sentient beings."

Lisa didn't respond to him. Instead, she started whispering, "Find the others...make me whole...find the others...make me whole."

Bobbi began to slowly reach out, hoping to take the shard from Lisa. As her fingers touched Lisa's hand, Lisa pushed Bobbi aside, suddenly distraught.

"GABE!" Lisa shouted, "I SEE GABE!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, who's Gabe?" Bobbi asked.

"He's hurt, they're hurting him!"

"Lisa, stop!" Hunter shouted, grabbing her by the waist, "You need to drop the shard and tell us-"

"-please," Lisa pleaded to herself. It sounded like she was speaking to another person in the room. "Please...I want to see him again. I want him to be safe."

"Who are you talking to!?" Hunter groaned, "You're not making any bloody sense-"

_THUD!_

Lisa dropped the shard as the three of them heard a loud noise from the other room. Immediately, Bobbi grabbed her assault rifle and went to inspect it. Hunter grabbed his shotgun while Lisa grabbed a knife to protect herself.

Bobbi opened the door and moved in. What she found surprised her. It was a boy, much younger than herself. He seemed to be of Hispanic/Latino descent and he was sitting on a wheelchair. His eyes were wide from shock. Before Bobbi could ask him for his name, Lisa burst into the room and hugged him.

"GABE!" she shouted.

"Hey...Lisa," Gabe Reyes managed to say, "Please...you're choking me."

"Oh, sorry." Lisa let go of the hug as Bobbi and Hunter moved into the room.  

"So...this is Gabe?" Hunter asked. 

"Yes," Lisa said, "I can't believe it. Me and Robbie have been looking for you these past few weeks! I thought you were at camp!"

"I was!" Gabe shouted, "I got kidnapped by S.W.O.R.D.. I swear to god, I hate this spy agency BS. I just want things to go back to normal."

"How are you here?" Bobbi asked, unsure what to make of the situation. Gabe just shrugged.

"I don't know, lady. One minute, I'm eating lunch and I blink my eyes and I'm suddenly here. Where is here, by the way? It's extremely hot."

"Dubai, mate," Hunter said.

"I'M IN DUBAI?" Gabe shouted, almost falling out of his wheelchair, "You mean that place in 'Furious 7' where Paul Walker and Vin Diesel jumped from tower to tower?"

"Uh...I'm gonna say yes? I mean, we're not actually in Dubai since the city is a few miles from here but yeah, you get what I'm saying."

"How...why...I'm so lost, Lisa?" Gabe, Hunter, and Bobbi looked at Lisa, who looked just as lost as everyone else.

"Guys," Lisa said, "Don't get alarmed but...when I was holding the shard, it showed me where Gabe was. Then, I think I heard a voice...it asked me what I wanted the most. I told it that I wanted to see Gabe and then it said that it would grant my wish. And here we are."

"So...the gem did this?" Bobbi asked.

"Yeah. By the way, the gem told me that it's known as the Cosmic Cube. It's just a piece of it and it wants to be made whole again."

"So...the gem communicated with you? The gem that used to be a bunch of sand talked to you and granted your wish?"

"Pretty much."

"Okay...now we're officially in bonkersville," Hunter said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna lie down because this is too much weirdness for one day-"

_BOOM!_

* * *

HUNTER

 

Hunter slowly regained his senses after surviving the massive blast that took down the entire wall. He managed to stand upright, not being able to hear anything for a couple of seconds due to the blast. When his hearing came back, he was almost deafened once again by the loud gunfire coming from outside of the compound.

His first instinct was to make sure Bobbi, Lisa, and Gabe were safe. Lisa was knocked out but he could hear Gabe coughing, which was a good sign. Hunter then saw Bobbi move a large piece of rubble off of herself. Her forehead was bleeding but aside from that, she was okay.

"I'll protect Lisa and Gabe!" Bobbi shouted out, coughing from the dust, "Go down there and help our guys!" Hunter nodded his head and handed her the keys to the car. 

"Hey, don't die out there," Bobbi said before Hunter headed out through the hole in the wall.

"I was about to say the same thing to you," Hunter said with a smirk as he grabbed his shotgun and headed out.

Fortunately for Hunter, his mercs were putting up a good fight against...whoever the hell it was that was shooting at them. There was another loud explosion and Hunter ducked as pieces of the compound's wall hit him. From the sound of it, someone was firing a RPG at the compound, trying their best to bust into the base.

Another RPG hit the main wall and this time, the outside force was successful. Hunter took cover, firing at where the wall used to be. Dozens of troops came charging in, several of them being cut down by Bobbi and Hunter's forces.

_What the bloody hell is this? Were we followed? Maybe we should've reconsidered taking on the girl-_

Hunter stopped firing when he saw him. Immediately, bad memories of his time with S.H.I.E.L.D. came back. It was one of the few missions he wanted to forget. The one where he and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. were tossed around like ragdolls by their prisoner.

Andrew Forson entered the scene, taking the gunfire as if it were nothing. Instead of firing back at the mercs, Andrew decided to fight hand-to-hand. He easily destroyed anyone in his path. For a man his size, he was quite agile, which made his power moves much more deadly. He fought like a special forces soldier, trained heavily in close-quarters combat even though he didn't need it since he could easily swat anyone away with his strength and apparent invulnerability. 

When Andrew spotted Hunter, Hunter felt like a deer caught in headlights. Andrew smiled as he shoved aside a merc. 

"My, my," Andrew said, still speaking in his philosopher-like tone, "It's been...what, two, three years? How have you been, Lance Hunter?"

"Good, Andrew," Hunter said, nervous, "You've been working out?"

"Literally and figuratively. The mind is a muscle and must be treated as such. You should look into [Yvonne Rainer's 'The Mind is a Muscle'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em_-A44HNzc), it's one of my favorite minimalist pieces."

"I'll take your word for it." Hunter fired away, hoping to catch Andrew off-guard. Instead, Andrew rushed forward, grabbing the shotgun from Hunter and shoving him to the ground. Hunter rolled away to get some distance from Forson.  

"You really should know by now that gunfire doesn't harm me," Andrew said as he crushed the shotgun with his bare hands. Hunter wasn't even fazed anymore by the man's strength. 

"Okay, before we do this," Hunter said as he raised his hands to duke it out with Andrew, "Just tell me...was it voodoo that's responsible for your strength?"

Andrew only stared at him, unimpressed.

"Right, I thought not." 

"My strength comes from my own work," Andrew said, "Society may call me a freak of nature but then again, values of society always changes. Today's freaks are tomorrow's normal citizens, which you can easily determine by looking into what societal change is gaining momentum-"

"Oh for the love of God, SHUT UP."

Hunter threw a punch, which Andrew easily caught.

"You still fight like an unruly child," Andrew said as he began to crush Hunter's fist. Hunter groaned in pain as he dropped to his knees. "Always telegraphing your movements by your stance, choosing to trash talk instead of taking the time to formulate a strategy-"

 _BLAM!_ Andrew took a step back, surprised from the sudden blast. Hunter, who had a pistol hidden behind his back, was able to grab it and shot Andrew point blank in the face. The shot bounced off Andrew's skull but it did make him let go of Hunter's hand. 

"Now that's more like it," Andrew said, wiping the gunpowder dust from his face, "You sly dog, you caught me monologuing."

"Maybe if you shut up for once, you could've seen that coming."

"You may yet turn out to be a worthy opponent. It's a shame that the Enlightened Society needs all of you dead. I would've personally requested to keep you alive...just so we could have a little grudge match."

Hunter began stepping back, mindful of his surroundings. His mercs were either dead, already abandoned the fight, or were still fighting this hopeless fight. He needed to reconnect with Bobbi and flee the scene. There was no way of winning this fight. 

"Okay mate, perhaps we can talk about this," Hunter said, trying to come up with a plan.

"What's there to talk about? I'm assuming that since you've had Lisa Ortega in your possession for the last few hours, you already know why we're here."

"...the Cosmic Cube, right?"

Andrew's eyes perked up, impressed by his admission.

"Very good, Hunter," Andrew said, "Perhaps you aren't an idiot after all. Yes, that shard has been fought over for these past few years. For a while now, it belonged to the Church of Chthon. We were supposed to trade it off with their leader, Father Jorge Valdez. It took years to get him to agree to our terms. Years of earning his trust and careful planning in case Valdez turned on us. But on the day of the deal...it was stolen by the Ghost Rider. He didn't even know what he stole...he just knew that it was important. If only he knew that he had one of six pieces of the Cosmic Cube." 

"And what the bloody hell is the Cosmic Cube?"

"Power. Indescribable power. Our sources say the Cube draws power from the cosmos, from beings that are  **beyond** our imagination. It is one of the most powerful items in the universe. And most important of all...it belongs to the Enlightened Society."

"Nah...I don't think so. I think I'll keep my piece. Lance Hunter the Demigod sounds pretty nice." 

"Okay, I'm tired of this. It's been nice talking to you Lance but I really need to-"

 _BLAM!_ Hunter capitalized on Andrew's constant monologuing by grabbing a grenade launcher and firing it right at his stomach. While Andrew had been describing the Cosmic Cube, Hunter had been walking backwards towards the armory, making sure Andrew followed him as he did. All he had to do was keep Andrew talking so that he didn't notice the grenade launcher that he was obviously walking towards.  _For a genius, he's kind of a dumbass._

The grenade sent Andrew right on his back. Not wanting to take any chances, Hunter fired a second shot just to buy himself time to run away.

"Next time...when you have to kill someone, just kill them. Don't talk." 

Hunter ran off as Andrew laughed at Hunter's sudden cleverness. 

* * *

BOBBI

 

Around the same time as Hunter leaving the group to fend off the attack... 

 

Bobbi Morse, with Lisa Ortega on her shoulder, managed to reach the car without encountering any bad guys on the way. She opened the back and placed Lisa inside. She then placed the Cosmic Cube shard underneath the seat. Gabe, who rolled himself to the area, raised his hands for help. Bobbi then lifted him up and placed him in the back.

"Get my wheelchair, please," Gabe said. Bobbi nodded and turned around...just as a knife slammed into the seat. Immediately, Bobbi took out her batons, turning on the electric current as she did. 

"Well, well, well...if it isn't the great Bobbi Morse", a female voice said.  _Wait...I know that voice._ Her suspicions were confirmed when Carmilla Black emerged from the shadows, a knife in her hand. 

"Carmilla Black," Bobbi Morse bluntly stated, "Last time I heard about you, S.H.I.E.L.D. had a massive bounty on your head."

"Why wouldn't they? I mean, I did stab the director in their hand and drugged their former director all on the same night. I'd be surprised if my bounty wasn't at least over 100K."

"And I thought me and Hunter held the title of quickest fall into disgrace. You went from being one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s favorites to one of their most hated in one night."

"Was that an insult? I consider that an accomplishment. Besides, I answer to a higher-calling anyways. S.H.I.E.L.D. was more of a...phase. Mother pushed me to join in order to hone my skills but I never really liked Coulson and May's 'extended family' way of running the organization. None of them learned from the HYDRA uprising just how idiotic it is to treat each other as if they're family. Makes things too personal." 

"Higher-calling? Let me guess...the Enlightened Society?"

"You did your homework. Yes."

"And I'm also gonna take another wild guess and say that 'mother' isn't actually your mother but the leader of the Enlightened Society."

Carmilla laughed at that. "Gwendolynn Fitz is my leader and my mother. She's the Enlightened Society's mother. We're all her children."

 _Hang on...Gwendolynn FITZ. No...it can't be. Can it?_ Bobbi thought back to her conversation with Hunter, when they pondered on whether Fitz and Simmons were part of the Enlightened Society.  _Maybe he was a bad guy this whole time. Damn it, this does not help with my trust issues._

"I'm gonna need you to back away from the car," Carmilla said, "I know you have the Cosmic Cube shard...it doesn't belong to you." 

"I don't see your name on it."

"Funny girl...let's see just how funny you are when I'm through with you." Carmilla tossed her knife, which Bobbi immediately avoided by stepping to the side. The knife flew into the car and embedded itself on Gabe's window. He yelped from the sudden impact.

"Hey, watch it, that almost hit me!" Gabe shouted as he put his seatbelt on.

"Gabe, just hang tight, I got this!"

"Whatever you say, blonde lady." 

Carmilla rushed in, trying to swing at Bobbi with her left hand. Bobbi avoided the strike, knowing the danger. That was in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s description of her when they came up with the bounty; her left arm could deliver poison with just a single touch. Bobbi slapped Carmilla's hand away with a strike from her baton. 

Not even wasting a beat, Carmilla ducked down and went for a leg sweep, knocking Bobbi to the ground. She charged in, hoping to grab Bobbi to inject her poison. Bobbi held her back, using her batons to keep Carmilla's hand away from her. Bobbi kicked Carmilla away, pushing Carmilla off of her and on her back. 

Now it was time for Bobbi to go on the offensive. She began slamming away at Carmilla as Carmilla crawled away from Bobbi's batons. The ground sizzled from every strike. 

Carmilla grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at Bobbi's face.  _Dirty move...she's getting desperate. Sloppy._ Bobbi went blind for a second but as Carmilla came in, she swung wide, hoping to connect with something. Her baton hit its mark with Carmilla's chin and Carmilla hit the car with a loud  _thud._

Bobbi, after clearing her eyes, swung again. This time, Carmilla ducked away and Bobbi's baton made contact with the car door, denting it on impact. Carmilla then kicked at Bobbi's legs before rolling underneath the car to the other side. 

"What's the matter, can't keep up?" Bobbi said.

"Don't you worry about me," Carmilla said as she cracked her neck, getting ready for another round.

"Admittedly, even though you rely too much on your stinger, you adapt pretty well to your surroundings. Most guys would just give up after realizing their initial plan of attack won't work. You're pretty good."

"Just pretty good? Let's change that, shall we?" Carmilla pulled out a pistol and fired at Bobbi. Bobbi ducked in time but not before one of the rounds hit her on the shoulder, the same shoulder where she got hit trying to save Hunter's life from Grant Ward's trap. She bit down on her lip, trying to ignore the pain.

As Carmilla made her way around the car, Bobbi took out her own pistol and fired back, missing each time. As Carmilla retreated, both women heard two loud explosions in quick succession from the other side of the compound. Taking advantage of the distraction, Bobbi sat up and fired a single shot at Carmilla, hitting her right on the chest. The shot didn't penetrate Carmlla's body armor but it did knock her on her back. 

With momentum back on her side, Bobbi stood up and charged in, hoping to finish the fight. Before she could, Carmilla pulled out a smoke grenade and threw it, covering the area in smoke. Carmilla ran off as Bobbi made her way back to the car to make sure no one took the gem or hurt Gabe and Lisa.

"Well done, Morse," Carmilla said through the smoke, irritated, "We'll meet again."

* * *

HUNTER

 

"Bob, you alright?" 

Hunter ran into the scene, tossing aside the grenade launcher from earlier. Bobbi's shoulder was bleeding. Luckily, she was able to make a crude tourniquet on the spot. 

"I'm fine, let's go," she said.

"What happened?"

"Carmilla Black happened."

"The Scorpion? She was here?"

"Yup. She's working with these Enlightened Society crazies."

"You know she was worth a lot of money, right?"

"Please tell me you're not admonishing me for letting Carmilla escape?"

"No, I'm just saying. Come on, I'll drive."

"Obviously, unless you want me to drive with a shot shoulder." 

Bobbi hopped into the passenger's seat while Hunter entered the driver's seat. Gabe, feeling nervous about the knife still embedded in his window, pulled it out and hid it underneath his seat. Hunter noticed.

"Um...why was there a knife in the window?" he asked Gabe.

"The cute, Italian girl threw the knife while she was fighting the blonde lady," Gabe said, innocently. 

"My name is Bobbi Morse," Bobbi said, irritated, "And don't go hitting on Carmilla Black, okay. She may be around your age but she's bad news."

"Wait, she's my age?" Gabe perked up when he heard that.

"Did you not hear what I just said? She's not someone you should go after."

"Oh, let the boy dream," Hunter said as he started the car and drove through the back entrance, "Gabe, don't listen to Bobbi. Trust me, I've been where you are. It's perfectly normal to develop an attraction to your enemies-"

"-are you being serious right now, Hunter?" Bobbi said, even more irritated than before, "How is that a common thing?"

"The boy finds Carmilla cute, what's wrong with that? Plenty of my friends and allies have had situations where they were attracted to their enemies. Nothing wrong with that."

"Name one person-"

"Um, Daisy Johnson and Grant Ward? Hello, did we just forget about those two?"

"Fine, you're right but obviously you shouldn't follow their example, for God's sake."

"Wait, you two know Daisy?" Gabe asked, leaning forward in his seat, "She was friends with my brother!"

"Who's your brother?" Hunter asked.

"Robbie Reyes!"

"Wait...Robbie Reyes, as in your brother's the Ghost Rider?! Hold on, there's too much new information that I'm still trying to process-"

"-HUNTER STOP THE CAR!" Bobbi shouted. Hunter stepped on the brake, bringing the car to a sudden stop. 

In front of them was easily the strangest sight of the night. It was a floating head that was on a device that looked like a soundboard. There were tentacles coming out from its heads and its eyes were plain white. The creature floated its way down to the quartet.

"What...the...French toast...is that," Hunter said, stunned.  _I just wanted to watch football, now I have to deal with this atrocity._

"I am M.O.D.O.K.," the creature said, sending chills down Hunter's spine.  _Oh good, the floating head talks. Wonderful._

"Give us the shard and we'll let you go," M.O.D.O.K. continued, "You attempt to run, you will be terminated. You attempt to destroy me, you will be terminated."

"Hunter, floor it!" Bobbi shouted as she opened her window. She began firing at the creature, who whined from each gunshot. The bullets weren't really affecting the creature but they were at least annoying him.

Hunter hit the gas pedal and drove past the creature. The creature turned around and followed them, managing to keep pace. As it did, it began firing lasers from its soundboard-shaped body. The lasers missed the car when Hunter did a quick swerve to avoid them. 

"Jesus Christ, how do we lose this thing!" Hunter shouted.

"Just drive!" Bobbi shouted back, reloading her gun, "If we get to the city, maybe we can-"

 _BOOM!_ Bobbi was cut off as the laser hit the side of the car, flipping it over on its side. Hunter, after struggling to get his seatbelt off, turned to Bobbi. She was knocked out cold from the crash. 

"Bob," he whispered, concerned for her health, "Oh no, Bob!"

"Yo, British guy, that thing's coming back!" Gabe shouted at him. Hunter looked outside the window and saw that M.O.D.O.K. was floating over the car.  _Oh come on, can we get a break here?_

"What are we gonna do?!" Gabe continued. 

 _Indescribable power._ That was how Andrew described the Cosmic Cube shard. With no other option, Hunter said, "Gabe, where did Bobbi keep the Cosmic Cube shard?"

"Uh...uh...oh, it's underneath the seat! Hold on." Gabe reached in and grabbed the shard. Upon touching it, the shard began to glow. At the same time, M.O.D.O.K.  began charging its laser. 

"Oh god, this is it," Hunter said, "Okay, do something!"

"Do what?"

"I don't know, just think of something. Make the shard do some miracle action!"

"Uh...uh..." Gabe closed his eyes. As M.O.D.O.K. fired its laser, Hunter and Gabe felt the heat of the environment disappear and suddenly, the wind turned cool. Hunter only blinked once when he noticed the entire environment changed.

 

Location: Tuscany countryside, Italy

 

Hunter kicked his window open and crawled out, breathing in the Italian countryside. As he stretched his legs, he helped Gabe out by kicking his window open as well. Knowing that Gabe couldn't use his legs, Hunter propped his back up on the car.

"Good job, kid," Hunter said.

"I'm not sure what I did."

"Well, whatever you did took us here...wherever here is. Tell me, what were you thinking?"

"Um...that the girl who was attacking Bobbi was kinda cute and that she was Italian, judging from her accent-"

"-so...we're in Italy."

"I think."

"Great...just wonderful. Could be worse. I mean, what else could go wrong?"

As if on cue, Hunter and Gabe heard the sounds of police cars coming their way. Hunter closed his eyes, cursing every deity in the universe for his extreme bad luck. 

 

* * *

END-TAG (MACK)

Location: The Peak

 

A few minutes after Mercy's failed assassination attempt on Jemma Simmons' life...

 

"Guys...you may need to take a look at this."

Alphonso MacKenzie gently placed Jemma Simmons down on the hospital bed. She was still passed out from the blood loss on her shoulder.  _Poor thing, why the hell are these people after you?_

As he left her in the care of S.W.O.R.D.'s medical staff, he walked over to Elena, who had brought Coulson in. According to Jemma, the assassin had stabbed Coulson in the chest with a crystal-like object. The wound was deep and Mack was worried that he could be in critical condition. 

"What is it?" Mack asked.

"Well...Simmons said Coulson was hurt badly, right?" Elena asked.  _Isn't that obvious?_

"Why, what happened-"

Mack answered his own question when he looked down. The stab wound was completely gone, as if it never happened in the first place. 

"How the hell-"

"There's something else, Mack," Elena said, "When I found him, he was muttering 'the deal, I made the deal' over and over again. I couldn't ask him what he meant since he was delirious but...you know what that means right?"

Mack shook his head. He couldn't prove it at the moment but he needed to talk to Robbie Reyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bobbi and Hunter guest appearance! Nice of Adrianne Palicki and Nick Blood to take some time away from their busy schedule to come back to AOS. Don't expect them to make regular appearances though. 
> 
> Also, I know that it might be frustrating to move away from the main cast but I wanted to do a villain chapter. I want to give the villains as much depth as our heroes so I felt this chapter was necessary to get a feel for the Big Bads. If not, then at least an introduction to them. I promise, we'll come back to the main cast next week. I know I left Coulson, Jemma, Daisy, and Robbie in a bit of a precarious position in the previous chapter. Trust me, next week will pick up right where we left off. 
> 
> So some observations for this chapter to keep in mind as we move forward with the story:
> 
> 1) We got our four Big Bads for this season (our barbershop quartet of evil); Gwendolynn Fitz, Andrew Forson, The Superior a.k.a. M.O.D.O.K., and Carmilla Black.
> 
> 2) For Andrew, I wanted to write a Big Bad who was not only intelligent but physically imposing since our past four Big Bads (Garrett, Jiaying, Hive, AIDA) weren't really that spectacular in the strength department. I wanted to write a Big Bad who could not only go toe-to-toe with our heroes but could seriously cripple them in a fight. Now if it seems like he's just a random asshole...trust me, I have a big reveal about his character that'll tie him to one of our main heroes.
> 
> 3) For Carmilla, if the seduction scene with Coulson was a bit creepy...good. It's not supposed to be hot. Sorry for the creepiness but hey, this is a villains introduction chapter.
> 
> 4) For the Superior...no one really cared about him. But hopefully, now that he's M.O.D.O.K., he can be a legit threat instead of just a random, prejudiced Russian guy.
> 
> 5) For Gwen, you thought she was scary before? If not, hopefully this chapter made it clear that you shouldn't screw with her.
> 
> 6) With all that said, does anyone have any guesses on which Marvel supervillain group that the Enlightened Society is based on? I mean...this chapter should've made it really obvious.
> 
> 7) And for those who need a check on the Cosmic Cube shards; there are six pieces. One is with Bobbi, Hunter, Lisa, and Gabe. One is at Roxxon with the Simmons family. One is in Attilan with the Inhuman Royal Family. And the other three...hmm...there's a big twist concerning these last three pieces :) 
> 
> 8) Graviton may or may not make an appearance in a future chapter. Just saying. 
> 
> Anyways, if you want, please leave a kudo and a comment!


	7. A House Divided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisy and Robbie confront Abigail after Kobik unknowingly frees them from their cells. S.W.O.R.D. deals with the consequences of losing Gabe Reyes. Jemma recovers from the failed attempt on her life. May learns the details of Coulson's deal with the devil. And S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. are forced to confront the fact that there's a bigger threat that they need to fight together...

DAISY

Location: Prison 42 

 

"Open the damn portal!" 

Robbie furiously slammed on the gateway back to the Peak / their Earth. It had only been a few minutes since Kobik's massive mind-changing moment. With the brainwashed S.W.O.R.D. agents overwhelming both Daisy and Robbie with their attempts at pampering them, Daisy was forced to knock them all out with a quake wave. Much to her amusement, she ordered the agents to line up in order for her to knock them out. No one argued with her, despite knowing the dangers. 

"Robbie, calm down!" Daisy shouted as she tried comforting Kobik, who was still panicking over her earlier outburst.

"It won't take long for Abigail to learn about what just happened," Robbie snapped back, getting right up in Daisy's face as he did, "Who knows what she's going to do to Gabe once that happens!"

"And how's you throwing a damn temper tantrum going to help our situation?! Think! You don't have your chain and we don't know how to reopen the portal on our end. Those are things we can't change, no matter how many times you hit that door!"

"So what do you suggest, we just wait here while Abigail tortures my brother?"

"No!"

"Then what do we do?! I'm open to any and all suggestions at this point!"

Daisy was about to snap back when she realized something.  _Hang on...how did KOBIK get here in the first place?_ Facing Kobik directly, Daisy gently lifted the girl's chin so that she could look her in the eye. 

"Kobik," Daisy said, using her best 'motherly' tone, "I'm gonna ask you a question but I don't want you to panic, okay."

"I hurt these people," Kobik said tearfully. She wiped away a small droplet from her eyes before turning to Robbie. "I'm sorry, Mister Ghost Rider, I didn't mean to put your brother in danger. I was just trying to help because you and Miss Daisy weren't happy in your cells."

"Wait...how the hell do you know these things about me?" Robbie asked, trying to force himself to sound calm.

"I can read people's minds. Mister Macken-Mack, told me I shouldn't but I can't help it. I don't know how to turn it off. Right now, I can hear that you're worried about your brother, Gabe. But I don't think you should worry that much."

"Wait, why?" Daisy asked, suddenly concerned, "Why shouldn't we worry about Gabe? Did S.W.O.R.D. free him? What can you tell us, Kobik?"

"I can hear Abigail Brand's thoughts," Kobik said, "She's really angry right now. She's yelling at a lot of people. Her voice is muddled since she's far away but I heard her saying that Gabe isn't in his cell. No one knows where he is-"

"-What do you mean he's missing!?" Robbie shouted, walking up to Kobik. Kobik took a step back, frightened, which led to Daisy standing up and gently holding Robbie back.

"Let her talk, Robbie," Daisy said.

"I wasn't going to hurt her," he quickly said, "I ain't like that."

"I know but seriously, she's just a little girl and you're scaring her. Back off." Robbie shoved Daisy hands off of him and stepped back. He leaned against the gateway and motioned for Kobik to continue. 

"I don't know," Kobik stuttered out, "I...I...I don't know where he is. No one knows. He just vanished! I swear, it's the truth! Please Mister Ghost Rider, I know what happens to people who you don't like, please, I don't want to get burned-"

"-oh, honey," Daisy said, bringing Kobik in for a hug. Robbie looked away, feeling guilty that he frightened the girl this badly. 

"I've been bad...I hurt all these people. I didn't want to but I couldn't stop myself. It just happened and I'm responsible. And I know that the Ghost Rider kills bad people. Miss Daisy, is he going to kill me?"

"Oh, honey, no, no, no, no, Robbie's a good man," Daisy continued, "You don't have to be scared of him. I know that it's scary that he's the Ghost Rider but he's really a...he's a...a puppy! A really nice puppy that has temper tantrums from time to time. He'd never hurt a little girl, especially someone as nice and kind as you."

"Did you just say I'm a puppy?" Robbie asked with a frown. Daisy shushed him as Kobik gave her a weak smile, calming down before falling into another panic attack. 

"Okay," Daisy said, "We know that Abigail doesn't have Gabe anymore. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Now, Kobik, we need to know how you found this place. How did you get here without us noticing?"

Kobik stared at the ground, trying to come up with an answer. She then looked up and said, "I don't know how to describe it. I'm still learning about what powers I have so sometimes, I activate a power I didn't know I had."

"Like what happened with the S.W.O.R.D. agents?" Kobik shook her head vigorously for 'yes'. 

"Okay Kobik," Daisy continued, "What did you do then? How did you get in here without opening the gateway?"

"Um...it's kinda weird. I was sitting in my room and I got hungry. I didn't like the food that Doctor Rorchester brought so...I...I...listened for the kitchen. I heard the lead chef say that he was baking a special batch of cookies for his staff-"

"-is that why you were eating a cookie?" Robbie interrupted. Kobik once again shook her head for 'yes'. 

"How did you get to the kitchen then?" Daisy asked.

"Um, I imagined how the cookie looked," Kobik said, trying to mimic her actions, "I closed my eyes and thought hard about how it would be nice to eat a cookie. Then when I opened my eyes, I was in the kitchen, right next to the batch that the chef had made."

Daisy and Robbie looked at each other, surprised at the revelation. _So she has telepathy/telekinesis, can control and change a person's personality, and now she can teleport herself,_ Daisy thought. _G_ _reat, this is just great. We've basically come across Jesus._

"So then, after I got the cookie," Kobik continued, "The chefs spotted me and contacted the detention center since they thought I was a prisoner."

"I think it's because the agents on this station were told you would be in your pod, so they assumed you were a prisoner," Daisy said, "Trust me, I've been there."

"Yeah. They got the entire detention center to go after me. David Choi led the group. Mack and Elena were there as well."

"So how did you escape?"

"I ran away. And when I got tired, I listened around to try to find a place on the station where there were no people. This place had the least people in it so I wished myself here."

"Can you do it again," Robbie asked, approaching her. This time, he made sure he approached her calmly. Robbie knelt down next to Daisy and looked at Kobik straight in the eye, hoping to get an answer. 

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Abigail Brand's office. You heard her voice, we want to talk to her."

"Are you...are you going to _kill_ her?"

Kobik looked nervous when she said that. Robbie looked at Daisy, unsure how to respond. Daisy could tell he wanted to and if she was being honest, she wouldn't mind seeing the green-haired nightmare get her comeuppance. But death? Daisy shook her head for 'no'. It would be the wrong way of dealing with the situation.

"He won't," Daisy said, "Trust me, no one else will get hurt."

Robbie didn't acknowledge her words. He simply looked back at Kobik, a certain fire in his eyes, as if he were already formulating a battle plan on how to deal with Abigail Brand.

"Okay," Kobik said, "Let me see if I can do this."

Kobik closed her eyes. She looked unsure on what she was doing but before Daisy and Robbie could ask, the environment changed.

 

Location: In front of Abigail Brand's office 

 

The guards in front of Abigail's office almost jumped a step back upon seeing the three people magically appear in front of them. On instinct, they raised their guns at Daisy, Robbie, and Kobik, but were quickly knocked down by one quake blast. Robbie stepped up as Kobik began tugging on Daisy's shirt.

"What is it?" Daisy asked.

"Mister Ghost Rider," Kobik said, "He was thinking some bad things about Miss Brand."

"Oh no...Robbie! Stop!"

Robbie Reyes ignored her as he kicked open Brand's door. Immediately, the agents who Brand was talking to scattered, not wanting to be in the path of the Ghost Rider.

"Well, shit," Abigail muttered under her breath, "My day just keeps getting better and better."

"You lost my brother," Robbie spat out, his eyes starting to change color, "You better start explaining yourself." 

"How did you get loose? We took your chain and locked down Prison 42-" Abigail stopped talking when she noticed Kobik outside. She closed her eyes, having found the answer to her question.

"Knew I shouldn't have brought that girl on board," Abigail continued, "She's been nothing but trouble since she got here. Got to stick to my gut next time."

"You didn't answer my question. What happened to my brother? Why did he suddenly go missing?"

"Would you believe me if I said I have absolutely no idea and that I'm doing my best to try to figure the situation out?"

Robbie didn't take the answer well as he grabbed a nearby chair and threw it at a computer monitor, the same monitor that displayed the security footage of Gabe Reyes in his cell. The screen cracked on impact and turned to static. Brand was not amused.

"ROBBIE," Daisy shouted, gently pushing Kobik behind her, "You need to control yourself!"

"No, I'm through with all of this," Robbie snapped back. His face started to burn up, the Rider close to emerging, "The ONLY reason why I'm even here is because this green-haired bitch dragged my brother into this mess. And now he's gone missing! Uh uh, that doesn't sit well with me and the Rider."

"You can toss all the furniture you want, that's not going to help you find Gabe," Abigail said, her tone serious without a trace of sarcasm.  _Oh no, he's not gonna take that well,_ Daisy thought.

"Screw you!" Robbie shouted. He kicked over a mainframe and ripped the wires out with his bare hands. Much to Daisy, Kobik, and Abigail's surprise, the wires lit up in the same way Robbie's chains would in his Ghost Rider form.  _Way to be resourceful, at least._

"You thought that just because you took my chain away, you had me beat?" Robbie said, spinning the burning wires around like a whip, "Lady...you have no idea who you're messing with."

"Robbie, damn it, you need to stop!" Daisy shouted once again. Kobik covered her ears, the situation starting to overwhelm her. Noticing the girl, Daisy pointed to a corner of the room and Kobik immediately ran to it, shielding her eyes from the chaos.

"Let him come, Agent Johnson," Abigail said, unshaken. Her fists started to light up with fire as she readied herself for a fight. "Come on, Mister Reyes, live up to your reputation as a crazy serial killer. Prove to Daisy here that you're nothing more than a lunatic with superpowers."

At that, Robbie let the Rider go. His face burned away completely, revealing the Spirit of Vengeance in its full glory. Abigail fired a few shots of fire but it was no good. Robbie whipped his burning computer wire chain at her, wrapping around one of Abigail's wrists. She screamed as Robbie tugged her to the ground. Daisy ran to Abigail, hoping to stop the fight.

"Robbie, please, I'm begging you-" Daisy was cut off by Robbie, who easily shoved her away. With Abigail's wrist still wrapped with the burning chain, Robbie stomped on Abigail's chest, holding her steady as he prepared to strike her. Abigail laughed at him, almost looking satisfied with herself.

"There you go, Robbie," she said, her voice strained from having Robbie's foot crushing her chest, "Way to prove me right. Come on, finish it. See how far that takes you." 

The words fell on deaf ears as Robbie lifted his hand to finish the fight. He stopped just before he could bring his fist down as Daisy rushed in to guard Abigail with her body. 

"Robbie, for the last time, please don't do this!" she shouted before Robbie could deliver the final blow, "You do this and you become the monster that everybody thinks you are! I know you're better than this so please, just walk away!"

Robbie wanted to push Daisy away so badly. All he wanted to do was move her out of the way and burn Abigail for good. Brand didn't even looked scared as she stared death in the face. Knowing just how many sins the woman has committed, even the Rider agreed that the world wouldn't miss Abigail Brand that much.

But then Robbie turned around and saw Kobik cowering in the corner, covering her ears so she couldn't hear Abigail scream. Daisy noticed his gaze as well. She wanted to give herself a pat on the back when Robbie lowered his fist and changed back to his human form. Abigail sat up, adjusting her collar and acting as if her life wasn't in danger.

"Thank you," Daisy said, standing up to pat Robbie's shoulder. He looked away from her, a determined look on his face.

"The Rider thinks her soul is tainted so don't thank me...I would've done it if the girl wasn't in the room," he bluntly stated. 

"Well, thank you anyways."

Robbie didn't acknowledge her. He simply turned around and walked towards Kobik.

"You know where they're keeping my chains?" Robbie asked her.

"There's a storage area for items of interest that S.W.O.R.D. collected," Kobik said, "Do you want me to give you a mental map of where it is?"

"Mental map? What does that-oh, that's what you meant. Thank you."

"Wait, what just happened?" Daisy asked.

"She projected the location of the storage room to my head," Robbie said, "She's useful, that much I can say." Kobik smiled at that. Robbie, amused by the girl's helpfulness, playfully ruffled up her hair. Daisy couldn't help but smirk at the sight. For a second, Robbie looked like he could pass as the girl's brother-figure.

_Well, ignoring the fact that Kobik spent the past few minutes fearing for her life from Robbie, they do look good together._

Robbie turned around and left the room with Daisy and Kobik following suit. As they reached the end of the hallway, Abigail Brand walked out of her office and shouted, "Hold on, Mister Reyes, I need to say something-"

"We're not listening to you anymore," Daisy snapped, walking back towards Abigail with fury in her eyes, "You lost your one trump card so you should be thanking Robbie for not burning this entire station to the ground. This is what's gonna happen; Robbie's gonna leave so he can find his brother. Not only am I going to help him but all of S.W.O.R.D. will help. And if you try threatening the other members of my family in an attempt to stop any of us, I'll take back what I said and have Robbie destroy you." Daisy could've sworn she saw Robbie smirk at her through her peripheral vision. 

"Bold words, Agent Johnson," Brand said, "But you may want to hear this. Before you three rudely interrupted me, I was dealing with the Gabe situation. Believe it or not, I don't want the boy hurt. I'm also worried about his well-being-"

"You put him in this situation in the first place!" Robbie shouted.

"I know, and I'm dealing with it. Perhaps you haven't heard but Gabe didn't just escape our sights. He straight up vanished. There was no evidence of an escape attempt and we made sure that Gabe was locked in a secure environment. And when I reviewed the security footage, no portals were opened, no hole in the ground formed, and the door didn't open at all. One second, Gabe was there, and the next...he disappeared. Just gone, from the face of the Earth. It was like-"

"-reality changed." Robbie looked like he just had an epiphany. 

"Exactly. That's what I've been dealing with this past hour. And not just that. There's another situation that happened while you two were locked away. It turns out your Enlightened Society conspiracy theory may not be as crazy as it sounds. There was an attack."

(Robbie: "Wait, what." / Daisy: "Jesus Christ." / Kobik: "Oh my god, no.") 

"Two of my agents are dead," Brand continued, "A third agent, Mercy Gibbons, turned out to be an Enlightened Society assassin according to Agent Choi. She murdered the agents in cold blood and severely injured two others. One of them was her target."

"Who was hurt?" Daisy asked. 

Brand placed her hand on Daisy's shoulder, a rare sign of affection from someone who seldom showed it. It almost felt out of place for Brand to suddenly show kindness.  _Hmm...for a cold-hearted dictator, she does care about her agents. Guess even the worst people have pockets of compassion._

"The target was Jemma Simmons," Brand said. Robbie and Daisy looked at each other in horror. They weren't expecting that answer. "She was stabbed through the shoulder. If it weren't for Agent Mackenzie, Agent Rodriguez, and Agent Choi, she'd be dead by now. She's currently in the Med Bay, passed out from blood loss. She's alive, thank God."

"How do you know they were after her?" Daisy asked, trying to hide how much she was hurting at the moment.

"Before Mercy was killed, she mentioned 'the Roxxon girl'. Agent Simmons' family consist of powerful executives in Roxxon. She didn't mention her by name but it's obviously her. I'm sorry, I really am. I know I've been cruel to your group but...I didn't want this, okay. I don't want to actually see people get hurt-"

"And yet, you put people in danger when the situation suits you," Robbie said, not swayed by her sudden compassion. Daisy scowled at Robbie.

"Not now, Robbie," she said, "Not now, please."

"Sorry," he said, leaning back against the wall. Kobik held his hand, a worried look on her face. Daisy pitied her; it was easy to forget that she was just a kid and that all of this was probably overwhelming her. 

"Who else was hurt?" Daisy asked, forcing herself to turn her focus away from Kobik and Robbie. When she asked that, Brand's face dropped.  _Oh no...who is it?_

"It was...it was Phil," Brand said, "Mercy stabbed him through the chest. He's in critical condition."

_No._

_No, no, no, no, no, no, no!_

_NO._

She couldn't hold it anymore. Hearing Jemma was badly hurt got her pretty bad but hearing Coulson was severely hurt broke the floodgates. He was the first person she grew close to in S.H.I.E.L.D., the closest to a father figure she ever had, even when she met her actual father. The tears started to fall as Robbie ran up to Daisy and pulled her into a hug. Kobik came in for a hug as well, grabbing both Robbie and Daisy. Brand, feeling out of place in this circle, stepped back to let them have their moment. Brand then told them she was sorry as she walked back to her office, kicking away some papers in frustration. 

"It's okay, it's okay," Robbie whispered over and over again to Daisy. The words were comforting but not helping at the same time. 

"I just need to see him," Daisy whispered back, "I have to make sure...I have to...oh god, I don't know but I just have to see him."

"We will. And I'm gonna make a promise to you. We'll find out who these Enlightened Society guys are...and we'll kill all of them."

Usually, Daisy would've told Robbie that killing was not the answer. But she didn't care at the moment. Instead of saying that they should bring the Enlightened Society to justice, she simply said, "Good. I'll help." 

* * *

JEMMA

_Location: Jemma's room, the Simmons Family Manor a.k.a. The Roxxon Palace, Ashburton, Devon, England_

_Year: 1994 (Jemma Simmons is 7 years old)_

 

_"You're lying, Drewie!"_

_"Nuh uh, I'm telling the truth!"_

_Jemma threw a pillow at Andrew Simmons, who playfully threw it back. Jemma grabbed the pillow in the air and threw it back at Andrew, who ducked. The pillow knocked over Jemma's favorite globe, which fell to the ground with a loud thud. Jemma huffed out in annoyance as she walked over and lifted it back up._

_"You're gonna break everything in my room!"_

_"You're the one who threw the pillow!"_

_"Well, you're the one lying about mom and dad!" Jemma laughed at him as she sat back on her bed. She couldn't believe the story Andrew had just told her._

_Earlier, she had asked Andrew about what the family was doing when she was born. She was bored and it was the first thing that came to mind. Andrew then spun the strangest tale._

_"So, according to father," Andrew had said, "You weren't like any other baby. Instead of crying, you were born asleep. Mother was so scared because the doctor didn't know why you were sleeping."_

_"I was sleeping?" Jemma had said, curious, "Was I sick?"_

_"Father didn't say but I think so. Miss Germaine said you were probably going to die that night!"_

_"Shut up, that's not true!" Jemma had said that out loud but part of her was scared because she believed Andrew might be telling the truth._

_"It is true! So when you refused to wake up, father went into his special vault and...okay, don't tell this to anyone else."_

_"I won't! Just say it!"_

_"Okay...but I'm letting you know now, I shouldn't know this. I was walking around the house when I saw this lady who was talking to dad. When I listened in, dad said that no one should be telling anyone else this story. Then the lady said she agreed because bad people might hear what they have to say and might retaliate."_

_"You're so dramatic. Who was father talking to then? Was it Miss Germaine?"_

_"No, I've seen her once at one of the company's galas. I'm not sure but I think she was one of mother and father's weird friends. You know, the ones who come by once a year. I think her name was...Madame Gwendolynn? Gwendolynn MacTavish?"_

_"Never heard of her. Maybe she's a new executive at father's company."_

_"_   _She was a Scottish lady, that's all I really know. Anyways, she asks dad about the details when you were born and father immediately panicked. I don't remember the next part of their conversation because I had to change positions but when I did, I heard father say he was so worried sick that he went into his vault and did something incredible. It worked because a few minutes later, you started crying like a normal baby."_

_"What did he do!? Tell me!"_

_Andrew had then leaned in close and said, "According to father, he told Madame Gwendolynn that he took these strange pieces of crystal and wished that you would survive childbirth. She said that she knows what kind of crystals he was talking about and that were powered by the **cosmos,** which is how they were able to save your life."_

_"You're lying, Drewie!"_

 

_Location: Science lab, S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters_

_Year: 2015 (episode: "Many Heads, One Tale")_

 

_"I'm furious, but not at you," Fitz shouted, trying to contain himself but the emotions he had been holding in finally slipping out, "'Cause we're cursed. The bloody **cosmos** wants us to be apart." _

_"The **cosmos** doesn't want anything." Jemma snapped back. For a split second, she thought back to what her brother told her. Crystals being powered by the cosmos that were responsible for her surviving childbirth._

_Maybe the cosmos DOES want something after all. She ignored the thought as Fitz continued his rant..._

 

Location: Med Bay 

Present day

 

Jemma woke up, beads of sweat on her face as she sat up on her bed. That turned out to be a mistake when she felt a sharp pain on her shoulder.  _Oh right...got stabbed. That happened._ Jemma sat back down, cursing at her impulsiveness. 

"Jemma, thank God, you're okay!" Jemma smiled as she heard Fitz's voice on her side. She turned to him and saw the concern on his face. Her happiness was quickly cut short when she saw security chief Roxanne Minh Tran standing next to him, her face neutral towards her. 

"I'm fine, Fitz," Jemma said, keeping her focus on him, "I'll live from this. How's Coulson-"

"-he's going to be fine, actually," Roxanne interrupted. Irritated, Jemma turned her focus to Roxanne, raising an eyebrow at her words.

"He was stabbed in the chest, I doubt anyone could just walk away from that," Jemma snapped at her.

"That's what Elena Rodriguez told me. So imagine our surprise when she brings him to the Med Bay and his entire stab wound has healed." 

_Wait...that can't be right. I saw Mercy stab Coulson straight through his chest!_

"That's...that's impossible," Jemma said. She turned to Fitz, who simply shrugged.

"It's true, Jems," Fitz said, "He's perfectly fine. He's still passed out but other than that, he'll live."

"Oh god," Jemma said, "What on Earth is happening?"

"You were attacked," Roxanne said, stepping up as she did, "I'm currently looking into this, screening everyone involved with S.W.O.R.D. to see if there are any other agents with hidden motives. You'll be safe for now."

"I don't trust any of you. Why should I believe anything you say?"

"Because I give you my word, as S.W.O.R.D.'s security chief, that no one else will hurt you and that I'll stomp out any other agent who tries to. You don't have to like me...but you can trust me to do my job."

"Trust her, Jemma, she means it," Fitz said. Jemma whipped her head back at him, surprised at his words.

Sensing her presence as a third wheel, Roxanne said, "I'll leave you two to catch up. Pretty sure you have a lot to say to each other. Leo, I'll talk to you when you're free."

Fitz nodded his head at that and Roxanne left the room.

With just the two of them, Jemma said, "You two are getting along nicely."

"This again?" Fitz said, exasperated.

"Yes, this again. Because honestly, Fitz...I'm lost. How can you possibly be friends with that woman, with all the things we know about her?"

"I thought we went through this already. What you saw isn't the real her, it's her public face! I've worked with her personally, she's a nice, warm, funny person-"

"-you're talking about her as if she's like some old friend or ex-girlfriend or something." At that, Fitz stopped talking. He didn't have to say anything since his face told everything Jemma needed to know.

"So you do know her," Jemma said, "When you said that she looked familiar...it was because she really was someone you knew. Who is she then?"

"Okay...fine, I'll tell you. But just for your information, I only found out a few hours ago. I didn't recognize her at first because she looked so different but...it's definitely her."

"Who is she? Just say it."

"She's...she's my best friend." 

Jemma closed her eyes and tried to shove away her feelings of disappointment that were gnawing away at her when he said that. She flashed back to every moment they told each other that they were each other's best friend. It was a terrible feeling, to know that you have been replaced.

"Wow," Jemma said, "Guess those ten years being together are nothing compared to the few weeks that you've known her-"

"-wait, what? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, not like that. I didn't say it right. She's my childhood best friend. I haven't seen her since I was eleven."

 _Ohhhhhhhhh, that explains a lot actually._ "Why didn't you just start with that, Fitz!?"

"I was getting to it! But yeah...Roxanne and I go way back. I haven't seen her since she moved away. Back then, she was going under the name 'Roxanne Sutherland' and she looked incredibly different."

"Is it a better different or a worse different?"

"Um...I don't know. I think she looks great now. I mean...not like that. Yes, she's pretty and all but I'm not attracted to her like that. She's the closest person I have to a sister. A sister who happens to also be my first kiss but that's besides the point. Wow, that sounded wrong."

"Don't worry...Leia was also Luke's first kiss."

"Not helping, Jemma."

"Just busting your chops, Fitz. So...first kiss, huh? Here I was thinking I was your first. No wonder you're so good at it." 

"Oh please, even without Roxy, I've kissed a few girls in my lifetime. For example, there was Ziyana, the physicist from Wakanda. And then Kamren, the animal behaviorist from the Philippines. I've never dated, of course, but I'm hardly inexperienced."

"So how come you never dated any of them? Were you just...that bad at romance?"

"Wow, Simmons, have you already forgotten that I'm the romantic one between us. Besides...absence of evidence is not an indicator of poor performance. May I remind you that there is actual proof that you're the one bad at romance-"

"-can't believe you went there-"

"-for as long as I live, I'll never forget that you actually dated Milton the cabbage head." 

Fitz and Simmons laughed at the old memories. It felt good to laugh, they needed one after the miserable past few months. Simmons missed this; just talking to Fitz, even if it was over something as banal as their love lives. 

But then Jemma remembered that they weren't in a good spot, that their lives and the lives of everyone around them was still in danger. Reluctantly, Jemma said, "So...did you and Roxanne talk about what happened to me?"

"You were attacked by the Enlightened Society, I know," Fitz said. He looked around the room, making sure no one was listening. He then said, "No one knows we were approached to join when we were in the Academy. Or maybe they do know and just aren't mentioning it make us drop our guard."

"You think Abigail Brand will care?" 

"Of course she will...but I don't think it's smart to mention that. S.W.O.R.D. is on a witch-hunt after your attack. You heard Roxy, she's going to press anyone and everyone in this organization to make sure no one else is working for the Society." 

"But wouldn't it be better to just say it now? Don't you think they'll be more pissed off if they heard about it from someone else?"

"You may be right...but I don't want to take that risk if it means Abigail punishing any one of us even more. I don't want to see you get hurt anymore, okay."

Jemma saw Fitz's lip trembled a bit when he said that. He still cared about her, despite all that's happened between them. She smiled, knowing that he still had her best interests at heart.

"I don't want to see you get hurt, either," Jemma told him, grabbing hold of his hand as she did. Fitz held onto her for a few seconds, then let go.

"We'll keep this part of our past to ourselves for now," Fitz said, "But I'll try to come up with a plan to tell Roxy first."

"Tell our people first. That's what I came about more."

"Fine. Our past aside, for now, we'll work with S.W.O.R.D. on their investigation into the Enlightened Society. When the time is right, we'll tell them." Fitz looked away from Jemma, his face not doing a good job at concealing his worried feelings. There seemed to be something else bothering him at the moment. 

"You still look worried. What else is troubling you?" 

"Well...remember that night when we were supposed to be initiated? They had that mantra. Blessed are the ones who seek knowledge...they are the key to an Enlightened Society."

"Mercy said that right before she was about to kill me."

"Yeah...I'm worried because I have this thought. It's been bugging me since that night we ran from our initiation. I've ignored it since it hasn't come back up...until now."

"What is it?"

At that, Fitz turned to Jemma, his face looking grim. He then said, "Those were the words my mother said before Roxy and her mom moved away from Scotland. I've ignored it for so long but now...I have to face this head on. I think my mother may be part of the Enlightened Society."

"Fitz, how can you say that-"

"-Jemma...why do you think I haven't talked to her in years?"  

 

* * *

MAY

Location: May's cell in the detention area 

 

Melinda May's cell doors opened and she almost threw a punch when she saw who it was. Of all the people she thought would be coming to see her, she least expected Abigail Brand. May took a step back, frowning as Brand stepped in, taking a seat on the detention cell bed.

"You can relax, Meli, I'm not hear to torture you," Brand said without her usual braggadocio.

"Is this a trick?" May said, unamused.

"No. Look, I know we've both pushed each other's buttons these past few weeks...years, actually. I've said some things I can't take back, you've said some things I'll never forgive. And yes, there was a time I would've wanted you dead-"

"-what. Is. Your. Point." 

"What I want to say is that I never wanted to actually hurt any of you S.H.I.E.L.D. folks. If we get in a fight, that's fine. Hurt on a mission, that's fine too as long as you make it back. But I'm not insane. I don't want to see anyone die under my command, or get severely injured to the point that they're in critical condition. Yes, I've used people for my own bidding. You're right...I have manipulated, lied, and just all around used people like objects. But I'm not a psycho. So when I say that I come in peace...I mean it. Because something awful happened under my command and I will deal with it accordingly."

"Just skip to the point."

"We were attacked. New group...well, technically, they're very old but this is the first time we've been attacked by them. The Enlightened Society. Robbie Reyes tried to warn me but I didn't listen. I chalked up his stories as nothing but fairy tales and nonsense and now I'm paying the price for it. They came after Jemma Simmons."

At that, May perked up, not expecting this. "Is she okay?" May asked.

"She's fine. Before you say anything, the assassin was killed on the spot. Jemma, though, was badly hurt from the attack. Got stabbed clean through the shoulder by the assassin. But that's not all of it. Two of my agents were killed by the assassin and Phillie was stabbed clean through the chest."

_Phil._

May swallowed a lump in her throat that she didn't know was there. She took a step back, trying to steady herself as Brand stood up and placed her hand on her shoulder.   

"How is he?" May asked, the only question she could think of at the moment.

"Believe it or not, he'll be fine." May shot Brand with a look of confusion. "I had the same reaction. I only found out a few minutes ago. Somehow...his wound healed on its own. Maybe Phillie has some Inhuman powers that he hasn't told anyone about.

"Phil's not an Inhuman," May said bluntly, thinking back to the war with Jiaying when Mack had to cut off Coulson's arm, "This is something else."

"Well in either case, you should go to him. That's why I'm letting you out. I figure that the first face he sees should be yours." 

"This is...very kind of you. Are you sure you're the real Abigail?"

"Oh, you would like that, wouldn't you Meli? No, I'm not a LMD, we're not going through that shit again. This is me being a decent human being because believe it or not, I can be one. I loved him too. Maybe we fell out of it but my feelings for him were genuine. I don't want to see him like this. At the same time, I know he wouldn't want to see me, not after how I treated all of you. But I can at least do him a favor and let you go." 

"Wow...thanks Abigail-"

"-but let me make this clear. Just because I'm being nice to you now doesn't mean this will become a regular thing. You're still a bitch in my eyes."

 _Well, there's the Abigail Brand I know and hate._ "And you're still a bitch in my eyes." 

Brand, for once, chuckled at the insult and left May to herself. With the doors opened, May immediately took off towards the Med Bay. Regardless of Coulson's medical condition, she wanted to be by his side when he woke up.

One, to tell him how much she cared for him and that she can't lose him again. The Avengers incident was bad enough, she didn't want a repeat of the events. 

Two, to find out how the hell he survived a stab through the chest. 

 

_Location: Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco_

_Year: 1984_

_Time: Morning (a few hours before May and Coulson's first mission together)_

 

_"So, you've met him?"_

_Abigail laughed at Melinda's question as she dug into her clam chowder. May was slightly irritated. She was about to go on this mission with a man she's never met before. The mission in Sausalito didn't sound like much but she wasn't sure if she could trust this "Phil Coulson"._

_"Of course I met him," Abigail said, "We met last night at Madame J's Bar. Had some drinks, he's a pretty cool guy. A bit awkward though."_

_"Is he trustworthy?"_

_"Well...he's definitely above the douches you meet in any bar. He paid for everything too. He's a true gentleman. Yeah, I'd say you can trust him. But I mean...what are you actually trying to ask here?"_

_"I'm not sure, to be honest. Sorry, I'm still new to S.H.I.E.L.D.. Never had a partner. I think I'm just worried about the idea and all. When I first started, my instructors warned us about trusting others. That S.H.I.E.L.D. agents don't really have the luxury of trusting someone since there's always the chance of us getting betrayed."_

_"I can see that. For myself, I don't really trust anyone enough to place my life in their hands. But that's more of me being a product of where I came from. How about you, May?_

_"Mom was an intelligence operative. Guess that's where it comes from. Never drop your guard, always keep an eye on your friends, etc. etc.. She made sure to drill those concepts in my head when she found out I was joining S.H.I.E.L.D.."_

_"Smart woman. Never knew my dad. Mom, before she died, told me that he's not from around these parts. I've never seen the bastard so I don't really care. Mom was suffering from dementia at the time so she would start spinning these weird stories about dad. She would say that he's an alien, that she met him out in the cosmos or some crazy shit like that. I used to think it was just the dementia talking but ever since the science couple discovered how to shrink down to the size of an ant, I don't know anymore. For all I know, mom could've been telling the truth and he could actually be an alien but I don't care enough to find out."_

_"How long did you grow up without your mom? You know, if you don't mind me asking."_

_"Mom died when I was thirteen. Afterwards, I've been passed along from foster home to foster home. Now I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, so things worked out in the end."_

_"Nice to hear there's a happy ending to your story. Not sure if mine's is any better. Mom and dad are still around but they hate each other. I'm thinking they won't last...two or three more years before they divorce. I know that's nowhere near as bad as your story but it sucks living in a home where you can just feel the loss of love. My cousins, aunties, and uncles...they all feel it too. And it's just awful because they're like an energy vacuum. Anywhere they go, they destroy the good mood in the air."_

_"I'm not judging. That does suck. But you know what, you stuck through that mess and now you're a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Just like me, things worked out. Think of it like this. **We all had our traumas, May, and yet they didn't turn either of us into psychopaths**."_

_"I'd drink to that." May held out her hand for an invisible toast and Brand, letting out a chuckle, held out her hand to take it. "Here's to working through our traumas and coming out as badass, independent women. Who aren't psychopaths."_

_"Hell yeah." May and Brand drank their invisible drinks and enjoyed the rest of the morning by finishing their breakfast._

* * *

ELENA

Location: Observation deck (used to observe for incoming debris) 

 

Elena Rodriguez knew she was taking a gamble by approaching David Choi. After getting Jemma and Coulson to the Med Bay, David told the group he wanted to be left alone. Mack wanted to know about the Nova Corps but David ran off before he could answer any questions. Before Mack could chase after David, Daisy and Robbie arrived at the Med Bay...with Kobik in tow. Mack decided to take Kobik back to her pod while Elena volunteered to find David. It didn't take her long to find David in the observation deck.

This was the first time Elena had stepped foot on the deck. The room was shaped like a globe, with its walls being windows to the outside. Elena felt like she was walking right into space and had a moment of fright since it was easy to believe that. David was sitting in the center of the room, observing the stars.

"Hey Agent Rodriguez," David said, not even turning his head to look at her, "Nice view, right? You can see all the stars from this room. I used to like watching them from my ship...they were calming. Even if I was coming off of a bad night or if I was stressing over my duties, I could always just stare out into the emptiness of space and feel...content. That's why this is my favorite area of the Peak." 

Elena sat down next to David. She looked at him but he didn't break his gaze from the stars. 

"I've come to ask you about the Nova Corps," Elena said, "And I'm not leaving until I get answers." 

David sighed and said, "That's a part of my life I'm trying to leave behind. In case you didn't see, I shot Mercy in the head because she knew about me. It doesn't take a genius to know that that's classified information."

"Okay...then how come you didn't kill me, Mack, and Jemma then?"

"Because I'm not a psycho. Because it'd be wrong and none of you deserve it. But the point I'm trying to make is...the less people know about who I really am, the better. To give you some perspective...I thought only Abigail knew I was Nova Corps. Guess that's wrong. Either Mercy's just that good at accessing S.W.O.R.D.'s most sensitive information or Brand sold me out."

"Well, it's out in the open so you might as well tell me."

David looked at Elena, unsure how to respond to her. Elena held her ground. She was going to get some answers, even if she had to pry them out from him. 

Before Elena could ask him again, he said, "Before I start, I think a trade is fair in this situation. Tell me something about yourself."

"What do you want to hear," Elena asked, pleasantly surprised at his question.

"Anything. Just...tell me something."

"Well...I'm an Inhuman but you already knew that. But before that, I worked a clerical job at a museum in Bogota."

"Which one?"

"Bogota Museum of Modern Art. I don't really understand modern art, I'm more traditional in that sense, but it paid the bills, you know? Well, most of them at least. I still had to teach art classes in the evenings. My students would sometimes joke that my art would clash from the artwork they saw in the museum. Said that I'm too normal. Just think about that for a second. I'm the one that was too normal to them at the time. Aside from that, not much else. Then S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Inhumans happened and...here I am."

"What did you do when you first got your powers?"

"I wanted to do the typical superhero acts and use my powers to do good. I believe in God and I still do. So I thought that God blessed me with these powers so that I could stop evil. Specifically, I wanted to stop the corruption that was happening in the city so I used my powers to fight the police. They loved preying on the weak so I fought back for the people. It did no good...my cousin was killed and I haven't seen home ever since."

"Hmm...so you lost a loved one and you left home afterwards?"

"Yup."

"In that case, you might just be the one person I can relate to on this whole station."

"Really now? Okay, I wanna hear. I've said my part. Your turn. Who are you?" 

"That's complicated. I guess where I can start is the Nova Empire. It'd take too long to explain so to summarize, Nova is this empire that exists a few jumps from where Earth is. The Nova Corps are its primary military force. Security, policing, invasion force...we were all of it."

"So...you're an alien?" Admittedly, Elena wasn't expecting an answer like this.

"Kinda," David said, "I'm still Terran, which is the term used to describe someone with Earth origins. But not all Terrans are from Earth. The galaxy is much larger than you think it is. I know that's a bit difficult to take in but just try to imagine these whole empires consisting of several planets each. That's the kind of world where I came from."

"I'll...I'll take your word for it. Please, continue." 

"Well, where I'm from, there was this war. My side versus these guys called the Kree."

"Kree? Dealt with them before."

"Yeah...it lasted for centuries. When I was born, it was on a battlefield. I grew up as a Kree POW for the first five years. My childhood consisted of watching propaganda about how bad the Nova Corps were, making weapons for the Kree army, and staring outside a fence I couldn't break through. When the camp was liberated, I enlisted for the Nova Corps. I was considered a hero...the Xandarians wanted to erect a statue for me in front of the main Nova Corps headquarters, alongside the other great Nova officers. But at the end of the war...I lost it all."

"How?"

"It was 2014. Peace was being negotiated on and I was relaxing with several other officers and enlisted men on Paramatar. It was a fun night...but then I saw her. A Kree woman with long, flowing red hair. She was shy, didn't really want to be there but I just felt...compelled to talk to her. And I did. We talked that whole night, about how pointless the war was, how great it would be that both the Nova and Kree empires can work together now. I asked her out five months later and we were together for only five days. The Nova empire arrested the both of us, said that it would look bad if a Nova officer was fraternizing with a woman from the Kree empire. We were both just normal citizens, none of us wanted to continue the fight. So, faced with either life imprisonment or even death...I...I broke us out. I killed so many on my own side, even some troops who I was friends with. It seemed pointless in the end since during the prison break, my beloved Nadine was recaptured by the Nova empire. She told me to flee and I did. But I told her that I would come back for her because I loved her."

"Well, did you?"

"I did...but she killed herself the day before. I never found out why she did. Maybe she thought I was dead, maybe she learned something horrible and killed herself so the truth would die with her. Maybe she just wanted the suffering to end. I don't know, I'll never find out. So, with the bounty still on my head, I ran to Earth. Been here since 2016. I deal with the occasional bounty hunters coming by but for the most part, I've been able stay under the Nova empire's radar for at least two years now."

"Wow...and Brand knows about you?"

"That's the only reason why I'm even here and why she puts up with me. I joined S.W.O.R.D. because I still want to help, I still want to guard the galaxy like I did when I was a Nova Corps officer. So I'm the detention center guy in order to hide my true position as the alien expert. And I want to keep it a secret for a lot of reasons. One, I'm still on the run. Two, Earth's not ready for a higher-degree of involvement with the Nova and Kree. People know aliens exist but the galaxy is...a strange, scary place. It's best that if people here continued to believe they were at the center of the universe because as soon as you find out just how vast the universe really is...it's a shock to the system."

"That, I can agree with." 

* * *

COULSON

_Year 2017 (episode: "World's End")_

 

_"You want to make a bargain?"_

_"Yes...I need to be able to use the Spirit of Vengeance for at least the next few minutes. Just long enough to destroy AIDA."_

_"Interesting...and what if I don't want to destroy this AIDA? I've seen her work. She's an aberration, an unnatural being that the guys on top would like to see destroyed. Personally, I'm a fan."_

_"My team definitely isn't. Look, what's the deal to use the Spirit? Let me destroy AIDA and then...you can do what you want with her soul. I could care less. As long as you give me the chance to destroy her for physical body for good."_

_"Coulson, Coulson...those are bold, brave words. Foolish...but brave. You do realize the dangers of making a deal with the devil?"_

_"Of course."_

_"Then you already know what I'm going to ask for."_

_"Unfortunately...I do have an idea."_

_"I will transfer the Spirit of Vengeance to your body. You can do what you want with it but once you destroy AIDA's physical body...the Spirit will return to Robbie Reyes. I still have use for the boy. Now, I ask only one thing from you in order to make this deal work. Since it is a small request, you only have to give up the bare minimum."_

_"Let me guess...my soul?"  
_

_"Hahaha...well said. From now until the end of time, your soul belongs to me. Enjoy the few minutes of power over the Ghost Rider. I'm hoping that it was worth the cost."_

 

Location: Med Bay 

Present day, several hours later... 

 

"Morning Phil."

Coulson groggily opened his eyes. For a second, he panicked since he woke up in a room he didn't recognize. When his vision came back, he saw that he was in the Med Bay. Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz were across from him. They were both fast asleep, with Fitz lying his head down on one of Simmons' hands.

_Wait...if they're sleeping, then who said-_

Phil turned to his left and saw Melinda May. She was tired, judging from the bags under her eyes. Coulson smiled, happy to see a friendly face.

"Morning May," he said, trying not to strain himself, "Or night. Not sure what constitutes a 'morning' in space."

"How do you feel?" she said.

"I've been better. Last night feels like a blur. All I remember is helping Jemma with something...and then..."  _I was stabbed._

Coulson immediately pulled his bed sheet away and lifted his shirt. He was expecting a gaping hole in the middle of his chest. Instead, the skin was smooth. The only real scar he had was where Loki had stabbed him years ago. But nothing from the assassin last night.

"Um," Coulson said, confused, "There was an assassin, right? Or did I just imagine that?"

"There was," May said, nodding her head, "Unless Jemma stabbed herself in the shoulder. So, care to explain how you survived? Because judging from how deep I heard the crystal was in your chest, you should either be in the ICU or dead."

"May, I-"

"Don't lie to me, Phil. You've seen what happens when there's too many lies in our group. Just tell me the truth because I've been in the dark for everything else since I've been in S.W.O.R.D.. Some answers would be nice."

Phil sighed.  _She's right._ While keeping secrets from teammates wasn't a new concept, they were in unfamiliar territory. While they could slightly afford keeping secrets when they were in S.H.I.E.L.D., they lost that privilege when they were merged into S.W.O.R.D.. It was a crushing feeling, going from the agents who were expected to know everything to being possibly the most ill-prepared unit in S.W.O.R.D.

"It's not a fun story," Phil said, the only thing he could think of at the moment.

"I can handle it."

"Alright then...I made a deal with the devil."

May's eyebrows perked up upon hearing his words. She leaned back in her seat, trying to process the information.

"Well...that's something. Why did you make the deal?"

"I needed to destroy AIDA. Take his deal and I get to use the Ghost Rider long enough to destroy her. It worked."

"And what did you give up?"

Coulson paused, unsure if he should even tell May this. Reluctantly, he then said, "My soul. It told me that from now on, I exist to serve its needs whenever it needs me. I don't have the Spirit of Vengeance or anything like that but if the devil decides it needs me for something, I have no choice but to serve it."

"How can you make that kind of deal?"

"Had to stop AIDA somehow. And you can already see the effects of that deal. Got stabbed right through the chest...devil brought me back. Technically, it told me that it'll keep me around as long as it wants. It warned me that I could potentially live forever, never dying no matter what happens to me. All of this just to serve it. I'll get to see everyone I know and love grow old and die while I'll just keep on going...living until the devil decides I'm no longer useful. And even then, I think I have an idea of where I'm going after it finally lets me die."

May stood up from her seat, looking like she had just heard the worst news. Coulson was still alive but at what cost? Immortality sounds great on paper but just reciting the details of the deal made Coulson realize just how horrible the deal was.

 _Eternal life, forced to watch all of my friends and family die one by one...all just for a few minutes of being able to use the Spirit of Vengeance. But hey, it worked in the end. Besides, I'm not even supposed to be here anymore. If anyone's making that kind of deal, it's better that it's me._  

May walked around a bit, taking in the news. With the silence in the room killing him, Coulson said, "Would love to know what you're thinking." 

"What I'm thinking? I'm thinking that the deal you made was horrible. I'm thinking that it was reckless and that you needed to consult the whole team about making it."

"I feel like there's a 'but' here."

"But...that was brave and you did take down AIDA. So I can't say you were completely stupid for making the deal."

"...but?" 

"You're gonna watch all of us die. You don't deserve that punishment."

"It's okay, May. I live to protect the world, you know? If it means trading my happiness in order to stop a baddie from hurting anymore people, then I'm fine with it." 

May nodded her head at that. She sat back down and leaned forward, taking hold of Coulson's hand. 

It didn't escape Phil's attention that he and May still needed to discuss their relationship. Memories of him kissing a certain LMD came rushing back and all he wanted to say at that moment was how much he cared about her and that he had made out with her robotic double. But there was always the insecurity there, the voice telling him that she wouldn't love him the same way. So he keeps quiet, enjoying this moment with her. Maybe one day, he thought to himself, he'll have the courage to tell her about his feelings.

"I care about you, Phil," May said, taking Coulson out of memory lane. Coulson mentally sighed. There were so many times in the thirty or so years with May where he wanted her to say that to him in a different context. 

"I care about you, May," Phil said back to her.

"I wanted to tell you because...that day when you were killed by Loki...I never really processed that information. You were brought back so I never had to deal with your 'death'. So when Abigail told me about what happened to you...it just hit me that...I'm not sure what I'd do if I lost you. You've been by my side for so long, I just...I don't even wanna imagine it." 

"Well, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Looks like you won't ever have to deal with my death. You know, unless the devil decides to pull a fast one and cancels the deal."

"Knowing that it's the devil, it probably will."

Coulson lightly chuckled at that and May smiled at him, letting go of his hand in order to sit back on her chair. When Coulson finished chuckling, that was when he remembered that he wasn't actually hurt and stood up from the bed. May moved to help him but then sat back down when Coulson was able to stand on both legs, as if nothing had happened to him these past few hours. 

"Right," May said, "Forgot that you're not actually hurt."

"So," Coulson said, cracking his back as part of his stretch, "What happens now?"

"Daisy came here earlier. She said that before coming to see you, Abigail told her that she's planning a massive meeting. Everyone on the Peak is required to attend."

"What are we discussing?"

"The Enlightened Society. Whoever that assassin was turned out to be a member of this group and Abigail wants to address it. Plus, this little girl named Kobik who's apparently been living on the Peak since we were released. I've heard bits and pieces from the S.W.O.R.D. agents who know about the situation but it sounds like this Kobik girl is a powerful Inhuman. Of course, since there'll be a bunch of level ones and twos, this is just the bare minimum. Brand's hosting a special meeting for us to discuss the more sensitive details." 

"Us?"

"You, me, Mack, Elena, Fitz, Simmons, Daisy, and Robbie. Apparently, she trusts us more since Jemma was the one attacked and that one of her agents was a member of the Society."

"Lola trusts us? Well...didn't expect to hear that."

"You ready to go see her?"

Coulson didn't hesitate to nod his head. May then stood up and both of them walked out of the Med Bay to find Abigail Brand. 

 

 

As Coulson and May left the Med Bay, they didn't notice Agent Piper watching them (and Jemma Simmons) from a distance. As they left her sight, she pulled out her phone (the latest in Roxxon technology) and contacted her superiors.

Her true superior responded quickly.

"Zabnah Piper, what's the reason for this call?" the voice on the phone said.

"Andrew Simmons' sister is fine," she whispered, "Sorry if it took me so long to contact you. Security is tight around here and their chief is a bit of a hardass when it comes to communications. Luckily, Brand's been kind to me, unlike my other S.H.I.E.L.D. companions. Some good news and bad news. Bad news, the Enlightened Society is going after everyone close to Andrew Simmons and it looks like they started with Jemma. Guess Herschel Simmons was right when he voted against the deal with Attilan. Good news is, the assassin they sent failed miserably."

"That's good to hear."

"They'll probably try again, just a heads up. Oh, and one more thing. You remember Phil Coulson and Melinda May?"

"The veteran agents? What about them?"

"Did some digging around and I found something that Andrew might be interested in. Turns out, they were part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team that was sent to Attilan in 2000. If the deal with the Inhuman Royal Family goes south, at least we know who to turn to as a backup."

"Nice work, Zabnah. Just keep to yourself and don't draw any suspicion, you're doing great work."

"I'll keep in touch." 

* * *

FITZ

Location: Med Bay

 

"Leo, wake up."

Fitz mumbled as he slowly woke up, rubbing his eyes as he did. Jemma woke up as well, yawning loudly. When his vision returned, he saw that Roxanne Minh Tran was standing in front of him, her phone at hand. Fitz looked past her and saw that Coulson and May were gone.

"What happened to Coulson?" Fitz asked, still sounding sleepy. 

"Walked out of here," Roxanne said, "He's doing well, thank God. I bumped into him on the way and he told me that he and May were going to see Abigail. By the way, don't forget that Abigail wants all of us to attend the all-crew meeting in the next hour, okay. And if you can't attend, at least stream it from your room."

"I haven't forgotten."

"Got my TV to stream it from here," Jemma said. 

"Good," Roxanne said, "Now, Leo, I need to discuss something with you. In private."

Fitz looked at Jemma, who only shrugged at him, unsure what to say. He thought back to their previous conversation; they were going to keep the fact that they were invited to join the Enlightened Society a secret. Suddenly, he felt guilty that while they were keeping this secret, he would be keeping more secrets from Jemma. 

_No. No more. All of us could use better communication._

"With all due respect, Roxy," Fitz said, immediately regretting his words, "Anything you have to say, you can say it to Jemma. I trust her."

Jemma smiled at that but looked concerned at the same time. Roxanne's eyes went wide, surprised at his audacity.

"Did you forget what I said?" Roxanne said, her voice harsh, "I only need your help for this mission, I don't need a biochemist-"

"-Roxy...I told Jemma who you really are. You can tone it down."

"Wait...what are you talking...oh my god, did you really just-" Roxanne looked at Jemma, who only gave her a knowing smile. At that, Roxy couldn't help but snicker. 

"How much did you tell her?" Roxanne asked, her real personality coming through, "I'm guessing that you just covered the bare minimum and said that I'm your childhood friend?"

"Well...yes. And then I talked about your obsession over movies and how you'd watch the entire Indiana Jones trilogy and Surf Ninjas at least once a week."

"You son of a...nice person, because I don't want to make fun of Auntie Gwendolynn since she helped my own mum out. Anyways...yeah, you got me. For the record, Jemma, I know you two have this 'soulmate match, psychic link' thing going on between you and Leo but on record, he liked me first."

Jemma rolled her eyes at that but snickered afterwards. Fitz smiled at this. _So far, so good. My childhood best friend is making nice with my ~~other best friend~~ , er, I mean my ~~girlfriend,~~  no, I mean my friend-who-I-used-to-date-and-now-am-trying-to-repair-our-relationship. There you go. At least they don't want to rip each other's heads off...yet. _

"On a more serious note," Roxanne continued, "I really do need to speak with Leo. I'm sorry but this is confidential material-"

"-you can trust Jemma," Fitz interrupted, "I trust her. Come on, Roxy, why does this have to be confidential in the first place?"

"Leo, this isn't a simple task. I really do need your help-"

"-if it's so simple, why just me?" Fitz asked, "Roxanne, you haven't told me why you specifically need me for this mission. You haven't made any mention of my engineering skills or any other fact about myself that would make me believe this was something only I could do. Now unless you come up with a good reason why Simmons can't be involved in the mission, then I think she should know." 

That was something that had been bothering Fitz since Roxanne plucked him out of his cell. All Roxanne would talk about was how the mission required only the two of them and yet never mentioned  _why_ he was the only person who could possibly help her on this task. This was about robbing Tony Stark and yet he failed to see why this would be a task that only he could help her with. It seemed like your average Black Nightingale heist. 

So even though he was being impulsive with insisting that Jemma should know about the mission, he felt that he had to stand his ground since something about the whole situation didn't feel right.

Roxanne sighed. She looked at Fitz for a few seconds, looking like she was trying to come up with a plan. She then moved around the Med Bay, closing the main door and making sure no one was listening in. She even deactivated the security cameras hidden around the room.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Jemma asked, sitting up on her bed as she did.

"Making sure that this stays between the three of us," Roxanne said, taking a seat after she finished making sure the room was secured, "Can't have any leaks, especially not after what happened to you."

"What changed your mind?" Fitz asked.

"Well...I did promise to mend things with Simmons. And you're right...I haven't been completely truthful to you. This mission is important...just not to S.W.O.R.D.."

"Hold on, what's the mission?" Jemma asked, confused, "I don't know what's happening here."

"We're going to rob Tony Stark at Stark Expo 2018," Roxanne bluntly said.

"Oh, good, nice to hear that you're absolutely mad," Jemma sarcastically said. Fitz lightly nudged at Jemma, annoyed at her tone.

"Anyways," Roxanne continued, "The item we're stealing is a personal trinket of mine, that much you already knew. Well...it's not MINE but it belongs to someone close to me. But I didn't describe what it actually is."

"Yeah, the binder you gave me just had it as 'REALLY IMPORTANT ITEM', written all in caps," Fitz said as he pulled the large, black binder given to him, which was by his feet.

"Well, it definitely is really important. In fact, if I don't get it back in the next few days, this friend of mine will become an enemy of mine...and I might actually have to lie low for a while." 

(Fitz: "Is it an heirloom? Money? Stolen vibranium from Wakanda? Keys to a Swiss bank account? The piece of gum you owe me from that night I beat you at Chinese checkers?" / Jemma: "Is it a wedding ring? A hard drive containing valuable information? A briefcase containing several rare jewels?")

Roxanne raised a hand to stop Fitz and Simmons and said, "None of the above. Here, let me explain...actually, there's too much, let me summarize...actually, a lot wouldn't make sense so let me do a demonstration so what I do say will make sense. Leo, come over here."

Fitz's eyebrows shot up as he stood up, unsure what Roxanne was thinking. Jemma followed the action in front of her closely. When Fitz reached Roxanne, she dug into her pocket and pulled out a strange looking item. It was a small gold bar with two slots underneath. Roxanne slid her fingers through the slots and held up the item in front of Fitz.

"Um...nice brass knuckles?" Fitz said, still not clear what was happening.

"Thanks," Roxanne said, "This item is actually called a Sling Ring. Just to get an idea of what this is..." Roxanne held her hand out and began making these circular motions as Fitz and Simmons watched. Then, just as Fitz was about to ask what she was doing, several sparks flew out in front of her and a portal appeared in front of the group. Jemma gasped loudly while Fitz nearly tumbled over her medical equipment. Snow blew into the room from the other side of the portal, leading to Simmons quickly wrapping herself up in her blanket. 

"You've seen the Ghost Rider form portals, right? Well...ever wonder how he learned it? Magic's always existed in the world, you just gotta find the right people to teach you."

Roxanne closed the portal and turned to the two stunned scientists. Fitz raised a hand and Roxanne, chuckling at his actions, picked on him like a teacher. 

"I have a lot of questions," Fitz said, taking a seat to make sure he didn't fall over again, "How, why, what, when, where...what?"

"Here, let me help you," Roxanne said, "Remember when I told you about my heists-oh snap, Jemma, just letting you know, I'm the Black Nightingale. You know, Scotland's most famous-slash-infamous thief?"

"Oh great, this just keeps getting better and better," Jemma muttered under her breath, "Just when I thought I couldn't hate you anymore."

"Anyways, when I was sixteen, I met this woman who told me that she was...recruiting...for this society that few people even knew existed. She approached me because on that day, I was trying to skip school. I never really fit in at the schools my mum and dad sent me to, could never focus. Mum was disappointed in me the most since she's obsessed with her studies. She wanted me to follow her footsteps and become a scientist, which I could never be. Just wasn't my path. But oddly enough, that was the same reason why the woman even approached me in the first place. She offered me a chance to see the world from a different perspective. She told me that if the world of science and technology didn't interest me...perhaps the mystic arts would. I dropped out of school the very next day and ran from home to join this society."

"So...what you're saying is," Fitz said, pondering Roxanne's words, "You're a witch, Roxy."

"Long story short, yes. I hail from the Hong Kong Sanctum Sanctorum, trained under Master Wong, and...wait, I just realized none of these names mean anything to either of you. Yeah, there's a lot to explain but that's the general gist of it."

"So that's how you did your heists then, yeah? Here I was thinking that you were some sort of acrobat or tech genius like me. You just create portals and walk in!"

"It's not as easy as you make it sound but yeah, that's how I did them all. And going back to the item in question, it's called the Staff of One. It belonged to Tina Minoru, the woman who offered me a place in the mystic arts. Apparently, she lost it while visiting Doctor Strange and the item was picked up by Stark Industries. They don't know how to use it but it's going to be displayed at the Stark Expo for some reason. Maybe just as an exhibit because they probably got some anthropologist to study the object, who then declared it as a relic of some ancient society or something like that."

"But...now I'm even more confused. You have an item that can create portals whenever you feel like it. Why do you still need me then when you could easily just-"

"-it's not for the heist. You're right...I could do this on my own. In fact, I've been doing these heists on my own just fine. No, this is for something else. Remember when I said that for the first half, I needed you to pose as my boyfriend in order to talk to some Roxxon executives-"

"-pose as your what?" Jemma said, eyebrows furrowed.

"It's just for a mission, relax. Well, originally, I wouldn't have bothered meeting these people...until I discovered that my mum is going to be there."

"Wait, what the hell?" Fitz asked, surprised.  _Hmm...never knew Auntie Lydia was part of Roxxon. Actually, if she was, that would explain why she named her daughter 'Roxanne'._

"Yeah...I haven't talked to mum in years. The last time I saw her was when I left home to study the mystic arts. But if there's anything I remember from home is that my family had nothing to do with Roxxon. Something's up. This is why I need you and not Jemma. I don't trust myself when it comes to talking with mum...but hopefully, she'll be more open if it's the both of us. She hasn't seen you in years as well but I think she'll be more welcoming towards you."

"But my family owns a large portion of Roxxon," Jemma said, "Why didn't you need me?"

"Your family owning Roxxon is exactly why I didn't need your help. Can't exactly be inconspicuous if you're walking around with the CEO's sister, you know?"

"Oh, right." 

"Well, that's the main reason why I need your help, Leo...plus, the other reason. The one I kept to myself. I think it's time you knew."

Roxanne motioned for Fitz to approach her, which he did. Noticing that Jemma couldn't leave her bed, Roxanne said, "I'll explain the second reason to Fitz and then you could ask him about it, okay?" Jemma shook her head at that.

Roxanne opened another portal and both she and Fitz walked through it. They were now in a forest. Fitz recognized the surroundings immediately.

 

Location: Forest of Ae, Scotland

 

"I know this place," Fitz said, "Mum and I used to come here. Forest of Ae, few miles from home."

"Yeah."

"Why'd you take me here?"

Roxanne shrugged as she moved around, crunching the leaves underneath her feet. She then said, "I visited home-the old home-a few years ago. You weren't there at the time. When I checked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files, you were in some Middle Eastern country at the time, trying to find clues on how to open the Monolith."

"Don't remind me, please. Hate that period of my life."

"Sorry. But yeah...I spent the day just visiting old sights from my childhood. It was fun...until I came here. This specific spot. I don't know why but I felt drawn here. It's like...I don't know how to explain it but it feels like I've been here before."

As soon as Roxanne said that, a weird feeling of déjà vu suddenly hit him. There  _was_ something about this spot that felt familiar-

 _"Leo, we shouldn't be here"_ _"I promise, I'll make it up to Leopold. I'll be a better father." "You know that the council won't like this." "...off to drink himself to death in some far-off brothel, never to be seen again."_

"Leo! You okay?" 

Fitz turned to Roxanne, who looked concerned.  _What the hell just happened? What were all those voices just now?_

"I'm okay," Fitz said, "Just...I think I get what you mean."

"You feel it too...there's something about this location that feels familiar, right?"

"Yeah...but I don't think it's a good familiar. I feel like something bad happened here."

"Okay, now I'm starting to get freaked out. See, this is also why I need you. I need your help to figure out what's up with this location. Something happened in our past but for some reason...I don't know what it is. I need your help to look around town, figure out what's going on. After we finish the heist and talk to mum, we'll come back here and continue the investigation. Does this sound like something you'd be interested in?"

"Of course...but let's wait until Jemma's healed. I want her to help us."

"You really don't want to go anywhere without Jemma, do you?"

"She's been by my side for over ten years now. We're better together, okay. Even though we're not...together together, we're still a team." 

"Fine, fair enough. Okay, let's go back to the base-"

"-hold on, before we do so, is there anything else you want to tell me?"

"That's essentially everything. Moved from Scotland at age eleven, ran from home to study magic at age sixteen, used my powers to steal items of great value and became the Black Nightingale in my twenties, and joined S.W.O.R.D. in 2010. I know it's a lot but...that's essentially it. I swear, I'm telling the truth when I say there's no other secrets from me."

"Okay...I'm trusting you."

"And I trust that you've told me everything about you as well, right?"

"Yes," Fitz lied, hoping that Roxanne didn't know about his and Jemma's secret almost-initiation. _Great, I'm the one asking her if she's keeping anymore secrets when I'M the one hiding a huge secret. Way to go, Leo._ To change the topic, Fitz said, "You've led an interesting life."

"Don't sell yourself short. You graduated top of your class, opened the Monolith, and worked with the Darkhold. That's still incredible. By the way, I've always wanted to see that book. I remember when Master Wong would talk about how it's the one book missing from his library."

"You should ask Robbie to lend it to him."

"Hmm...good idea. Come on, let's go. We've got some busy days ahead of us, now that you know the full details."  

* * *

ROBBIE

 

_Location: Long Beach Playhouse, Long Beach, California_

_Year: 2003 (Robbie Reyes is 21 years old)_

 

_"That was so much fun, Robbie!"_

_Robbie Reyes sipped on his soda as Marian Moreno grabbed a hold of his hand as they exited the theater. It was date night and when he had asked, Marian told him that she would love to watch a play. Knowing that he had to visit Long Beach anyways since his uncle was applying for a position in Momentum Labs, he decided to bring Marian along with him so they could visit the Long Beach Playhouse._

_When the play ended, Robbie decided that theater wasn't really his thing. He preferred sports over this but he wasn't about to tell that to Marian._

_"Glad you liked it," he said, throwing the soda away in the nearest trash can._

_"We need to do more date nights. We rarely get a chance to. Especially with...you know...my big move."_

_"Didn't want to talk about that tonight."_

_Robbie sighed as Marian looked away, immediately regretting bringing the topic up for discussion. Robbie didn't blame her for going to medical school. But he hated the fact that she had to move to the East Coast just to do it. Both of them wanted to try a long-distance relationship but when they discussed the logistics of it, they both came to the conclusion that after Marian moves, their relationship was done. She would've been too busy with her studies and he would've been too focused on work and putting Gabe through school._

_Love was great and all but they had to be realistic about themselves. But at least for nights like this, they could pretend that life was on their side._

_"Sorry, babe," Marian said, holding onto his hand, "But it was still a great night. I had a lot of fun."_

_"Glad to hear it."_

_"And I don't move for another two weeks. I know that time is limited but we can spend all of them together-"_

_"-I wish we had more time."_

_"I know...but life wants to be a bitch to us so unless you somehow move my college to the West Coast, we just have to deal with it."_

_"I know, I know."_

_Marian kissed Robbie **on the cheek** and held him close. They swayed, alone on the street, the music in their heads as they did. _

_When Robbie broke the hug, he said, "I won't forget the years we had together. No matter where you go or if you move on at some point...I'll always love you."_

_Marian smiled at that. Then, leaning in close and whispering in his ear, she said, "Robbie...I appreciate that and I love you too...but I hope you are able to move on. Don't feel guilty if you do, I want you to move on. Live your life...find someone else who you can love as much as you love me. And I sincerely hope that when you do move on, whoever the next girl is that comes into your life...she better make me look boring."_

 

Location: Docks, shipping area

Present day

 

"Can I say anything to change your mind?" 

Robbie shook his head as he prepared to whip up a portal straight to Earth. Mack sighed, stepping to the side to let him do so.

"Not unless you somehow found my brother," Robbie said, "Look, I'd love to stay but family needs me."

"I get it, man. It's just...we could really use your help around here. And from what I heard, we're both after the same people."

"The Enlightened Society? Yeah. But I don't think I really fit in here, you know? Just saying, it's a bit strange to be working with the people who just imprisoned me and used my brother to blackmail me. Y'all definitely have my support when it comes to fighting these Enlightened assholes but I'm not going to stay here."

"Well, good luck to you."

"Same to you. And hey, take it easy on that little girl. She may be powerful but she's still just eleven...or twelve...or thirteen, I really don't know how old Kobik is. Point is, she's just a kid."

"I know. Me and Elena are watching over her. Not sure though how much protection she'll need from us."

Mack reached out to shake Robbie's hand, which Robbie reciprocated. 

Robbie didn't say it but he wondered how Mack still felt about being able to use the Ghost Rider for the few minutes that he held it. Something told him that Mack still felt uncomfortable with using the spirit, judging from how nervous Mack was behaving around him. 

As Mack walked back, Coulson then approached him. Robbie wasn't sure what to say to him. He didn't know if the rest of the group knew about Coulson's deal with the devil but it was comforting to know that he wasn't the only one with a deal.

"How are you feeling?" Robbie asked.

"Better," Coulson said, "Like I was never stabbed in the first place."

"I've had days like that. You know, when I first met Daisy, we fought in my car shop. She scratched me pretty good but after using the Rider, it healed back up. It's strange...from reading the Bible, you get this image of the devil torturing people with like fire, lava, or some other shit like that. But you never expect it to torture you with immortal life. It sounds good on paper but in real life...it's awful."

"Yeah, well, not much I can do about it at this point. I'll just have to deal with it from now on."

"Yeah, sounds about right. Maybe you can have some fun with it, like try running into a crowd of bad guys shooting at you."

"No, I'm good. The stuff still hurts."

"Hell yeah it does. I never wanna get impaled ever again."

Coulson and Robbie chuckled at that. 

After a brief pause, Coulson said, "So...you're really leaving, huh?"

"Gotta find my brother, Coulson."

"Well...I would try to get you to stay but I've been there. I know what it's like to lose someone and to dedicate myself to finding them. It's a tough lifestyle we live, though I think you're taking it better than I did."

"How? I'm like...half your age, man. And I'm a high school dropout who's never gone to war or anything like that. You got more experience at this than I do."

"First off, I'm not that old. Second...you hold back when you go after people. You only kill those who truly deserve it, or at least people who the Rider deems is unworthy of life. You don't kill for petty reasons. Me...not so much." 

Robbie patted Coulson on the arm and said, "I wouldn't worry about your soul that much. Trust me, the Rider would've crushed Grant Ward's chest as well. Well...actually, he would've burned him or ripped his guts out and dangled them in front of his face. Point is, you killing Grant Ward isn't as petty as it sounds."

"How do you know about-"

"-the Rider reads people and I know what a person's sins are before they tell me. Killing Grant Ward was the top of your sins."

"That's cool. And I know it isn't petty. We're a lot better off now that he's gone But it's the reason why I did it in the first place that just doesn't feel right. It's that I did it for a petty reason that's haunting me."

"I'd be more worried about myself if it did feel right. Vengeance should feel bittersweet. That's how you know that you still got some good left in your soul."

Coulson shook his head at that. After wishing Robbie 'good luck', Coulson walked back and both he and Mack exited the docks. Robbie then turned around to open another portal when all of a sudden...

 _CLANG!_  

Robbie nearly dropped his chain when he heard the monkey wrench thrown right next to him. He turned around and saw an angry Daisy Johnson walking towards him. 

_Uh oh...should've opened a portal sooner._

"So that's it, you're just gonna leave?" she said, crossing her arms as she did. 

Robbie couldn't look Daisy in the eye. She was upset with him, that's for sure, but he could tell that she understood why he was leaving the Peak. 

"S.W.O.R.D. lost my brother," Robbie said, the one thing he could think of at the moment, "No one knows where he is and everyone seems to care more about the Enlightened Society than his well-being. So I'm gonna leave the base, find him, find Lisa, and stomp out the rest of these Enlightened Society freaks on my own."

"But we're stronger together! How many times do I have to tell you this?"

"How many times do I have to tell YOU that I work better alone and that you shouldn't be working with people who tried to imprison you!" 

"Look, Robbie, that is besides the point. I'm still pissed over what happened to us but I've been looking at this situation all wrong. Yes, I may hate S.W.O.R.D., I might never be friends with any of these people but the fact of the matter is...they're the closest to S.H.I.E.L.D. that the world has right now. So I'm gonna walk back into the base, suck in my pride, and work with these people because those assholes who tried to kill Jemma and Coulson are still out there. And honestly...I can't take them on by myself. Neither can you."

"Just watch me-"

"-you have no idea where Gabe is, you don't understand the one lead that you did find on the Enlightened Society, and last time I checked, your specialty was attacking people and intimidation. One, you don't know where these people are and two, the one guy you did try to interrogate wasn't intimidated by you. You told me that you threatened to bring out the Rider and he welcomed death. Unless you were lying to me, I say you're out of your league on this one-"

"-okay, stop it. I'm not going to let this go, okay. I need to find Gabe and I'm not about to go through S.W.O.R.D.'s red tape, bureaucratic bullshit to do so-"

"-Robbie...please. I also promised to watch over Gabe. This is on me too. But the thing is, none of us may know where he is but you'll have a better shot finding Gabe through S.W.O.R.D.. This is a well-funded spy agency that ISN'T hated by everyone. Why not use the resources here?"

Robbie sighed deeply.  _She's right...damn it, I hate that she's right._

"I won't try to stop you," Daisy continued, "But I strongly suggest you stay. And if you do stay, Commander Brand wants us all for a meeting in the main lobby in order to discuss everything that's happened these past few days. The Enlightened Society, Kobik, all of it." 

"You won't be pissed if I do leave?"

"Of course I'd be pissed...but I understand." 

"Well...sorry to disappoint but I don't see these S.W.O.R.D. guys like you do. I'm not an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. or S.W.O.R.D., it's nothing personal. Besides...I'm better. Off. Alone. I don't know how many times I have to tell you."

"I thought I was too, look how that turned out. And honestly, I don't believe you because if that were really true, why did you ask Gabe and Lisa to help you on your missions? I'm just saying Robbie...you've got friends here too. Good luck to you if you really are leaving." 

"Good luck to you too. Hope these S.W.O.R.D. guys don't mistreat any of you anymore. If they do, just let me know and I'll exact some vengeance on their asses."

"Haha...but seriously, don't."

Before Daisy left, she did something that took Robbie off-guard. Although he could tell she was incredibly nervous, she gently leaned in and kissed him **on the cheek.** Immediately, Robbie's senses were overloaded as he took a step back, unsure how to respond.

"Um, that was new," Robbie said, trying not to make it obvious that he was sweating.

"That was for not killing Abigail Brand...even though you had every right to," she said with a smile, "The fact you didn't because you were worried about Kobik's well-being says a lot of good things about you. Looks like the devil boy does have a heart."

"Well...even though my soul belongs to the devil, I have the heart of an angel."

"That was corny as hell. You know what...please leave."

"Maybe I will."

"I won't miss you."

"Sure you won't."

Daisy and Robbie laughed at each other. When Daisy spotted Melinda May calling her for the meeting, she turned around and waved goodbye to Robbie.

_"And I sincerely hope that when you do move on, whoever the next girl is that comes into your life...she better make me look boring."_

Robbie smiled as he remembered Marian's words. _I don't know if she makes you look boring...but she's definitely something._ He waited for Daisy to leave, even pretending to go into the stance position to whip up a portal to Earth. As soon as she left his sight, he wrapped his chain up around his arms and followed Daisy back inside to attend the meeting. 

* * *

MACK

Location: Kobik's containment pod 

 

At the same time as Abigail Brand's all-crew meeting...

 

_"That little girl needs to be jettisoned off the station! You know how many agents she's affected since she's arrive?!"_

_"She's a monster, she needs to be destroyed!"_

_"We have enough to deal with when it comes to the Enlightened Society, let's just be rid of this little girl!"_

_"No more dead or brainwashed agents! Get rid of that little girl!"  
_

 

Alphonso Mackenzie and Elena Rodriguez walked into Kobik's pod, closing the door behind them. With David Choi's blessing, they were able to visit the girl without having to go through Abigail or any other S.W.O.R.D. official. He also promised to cover for them in case Abigail or anyone else notices that they aren't attending the meeting. 

 _Assholes,_ Mack thought,  _Just a bunch of assholes._ He and Elena were only a few minutes into the all-crew meeting when several S.W.O.R.D. agents began calling for Kobik's head. She was scary but nowhere near as bad as how these agents were making her out to be. Knowing that Kobik could hear everything that was going on, Mack and Elena decided to visit her pod to make sure she was alright.

Just walking into the pod, though, Mack could tell she wasn't. Kobik was sitting on the floor, her head buried in her knees. She looked distressed. 

"Hello again, Mack and Elena," Kobik said, looking up, her tone missing its usual cheeriness. Her face was smudged with tears. Concerned, Mack and Elena sat by her.

"Why were you crying?" Mack asked. He already had an idea but he wanted to make sure. 

"They're talking about me out there. All of them are saying the same things. Monster. Demon. Menace."

Kobik started to cry again. Elena wrapped her arms around the girl, trying to calm her down. Kobik responded well, burying her face in the crook of Elena's neck.

"There, there, sweetie," Elena said.

"That's why we came here," Mack said, trying to comfort the girl as well. "We knew you'd hear us so we came by to see-"

Immediately, Kobik stood up. This time, she was angry.

"Stop lying to me!" Kobik said, the tears still coming through, "I saw you and Elena come after me when I went to the kitchen. You brought your shotgun! You and Elena were both afraid!"

"I wasn't going to hurt you-"

"-I can hear your thoughts, you know. You don't actually care about me...you thought I was a threat. You were thinking that I could hurt other people on the station."

"Kobik, please, I'm sorry. I wasn't going to shoot you there, it was just...that's just...that's part of this job, okay. I've dealt with so many bad people that-"

"-just stop, Mack, please. I don't care if this is your job! Because you know what...you're right. All of you were right. I am bad. I mean, would a good person hurt so many people like I did? Would a good person make this many people scared? I'm not good, I'm not good, I'm evil, I'm awful, I don't deserve to be-"

Kobik tripped, overwhelmed. Mack and Elena immediately stood, Elena being able to catch her before she hit the ground. She carried Kobik to the bed and laid her down, brushing away Kobik's hair to try to calm her down.

Mack knelt down and, sensing another panic attack, said, "Okay Kobik, remember what I taught you-"

"-I don't deserve your help. I don't deserve to be loved. Please, just-"

"-no, don't think about that for now. Just do what I say. Breathe. Take a long, slow breath, hold it, and then let go. Come on, breathe."

And for the next few minutes, Mack helped Kobik to calm down. He didn't even notice how much time had passed. When Kobik had fully calmed down from her panic attack, Elena stood up from the bed so that Mack could tuck her in. She looked exhausted from crying.

Mack sat down next to her. He grabbed one of Kobik's books and, reading it out loud, said "One batch, two batch, penny and dime."

"That one's for little kids," Kobik said with a weak smile.

"Aren't you a little kid?"

"No I mean...oh, never mind."

"You know, I bought this book for my daughter, Hope." Elena gave Mack a concerned look but he waved her off. Mack needed this. In his head, he decided that if this was how he could finally talk about Hope and what happened in the Framework, then so be it. 

Kobik turned towards Mack when he said that. She said, "You miss her."

"Everyday. My girlfriend and I...well, my ex-girlfriend and I, we wanted to start a family. But Hope, when she was born, was incredibly ill. She only lived for four days. It was tough. I spent so much time, preparing to be a father. I even over-prepared and bought a bunch of items that I thought a baby would love. So the weeks afterward, I had all this baby stuff in my home that I didn't need anymore. One of them was this book. One batch, two batch, penny and dime...it's definitely more for toddlers but I'd like to think that Hope would've loved it." 

Kobik took the book from Mack's hands and turned the page to read. After finishing the book, she said, "I like the book. I think Hope would've liked it too."

"Thanks, Kobik."

"I know you won't agree with me but...I think you would've been a great dad."

"I don't know about that-"

"-you would've! I know you think a lot about your daughter. You also think about the version of her in the Framework. She may not have been real but...how you treated her was real. That means something."

"Thanks again, Kobik," Mack said, gently ruffling the girl's hair. Elena smiled at the two of them, pleasantly surprised at how natural it was for Mack to slip into this role. 

Then, catching both Mack and Elena off-guard, Kobik said, "I'd like to think that my mom and dad would be as cool as you two."

Suddenly concerned, Elena said, "Do you know where they are?"

"I don't know...I thought they would've been looking for me by now."

 _Hold on a minute...something's not right here._ Mack mused a thought, hoping Kobik wouldn't hear. He then said, "Kobik...do you know who they are?"

Kobik took a minute to answer. She strained, trying to come up with an answer. Perplexed, Kobik said, "I don't know. But I know they exist! I just...I don't know who they are or what they look like. But everyone has a parent, right? So I must have at least one!"

"Kobik, do you remember anything that happened before S.W.O.R.D. found you on Alcatraz?"

"I...I...I don't know. Mack, what's happening-"

"-hey, hey, it's okay. Remember to breathe. Sorry to press you. Just relax and we'll talk about this another time, okay-"

_CRASH!_

The doors opened and several S.W.O.R.D. agents moved inside the room. Mack and Elena raised their hands up while Kobik hid behind Mack. Chief Roxanne Minh Tran, David Choi, and Abigail Brand stepped into the room. Mack could feel his spine tingling from how nervous he was. 

"You're not at the meeting, Mister Mackenzie and Miss Rodriguez," Abigail said, her tone sharp and piercing, "We had to stop just to find you both. Care to explain why you're talking to the dangerous 0-8-4 in this room?"

"Dangerous?" Kobik asked, feeling hurt. 

Mack looked at David, who only shrugged. "Sorry man," he said to Mack, "I tried covering for you."

"How hard did you try?" Elena snapped at him.

"Hey, none of that matters because David shouldn't have been covering for you two in the first place," Roxanne said, "We're not playing house with this little girl and all of us agree that she has too much free rein around the base. Agent Mackenzie, I'm sorry to do this but I have to put you and Agent Rodriguez on lockdown. You can't just go around and talk to this little girl, not after what she-"

"-her name is Kobik," Mack said firmly. 

"Excuse me?" Roxanne said, confused.

"This little girl's name is Kobik. Stop calling her 'little girl' or '0-8-4' or whatever other S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. terms we have. She has a name, use it." 

"Whatever the girl's name is shouldn't matter, damn it!" Abigail shouted, finally losing her cool, "What matters is your actions have put us all in danger. This girl-Kobik, whatever-not only has teleportation abilities but she can read minds, can move objects with her mind, and she can brainwash people if she wants to."

"But I didn't want to hurt those people!" Kobik shouted, "Please, I'll try to control my powers better!" 

"Stop it, you're scaring her," Elena said, getting right in front of Abigail's face to try to intimidate her. Abigail stood her ground. 

"You're not Kobik's mother," Abigail said, venomously, "You should stop acting like you are. Now get out of my face before I get _really_ pissed off."

"You should stop acting like you can do whatever you want without consequence."

"Just like how S.H.I.E.L.D. acted ever since its inception? Give me a break, Rodriguez." 

Elena was about to say something but Mack pulled her back, noticing just how angry Brand was getting. With a snap of her fingers, the guards started to move in to take Mack and Elena away. Kobik jumped out of the bed, trying to push the guards away.

"No, don't hurt them," Kobik pleaded, "They're good people, they don't deserve-"

_SLAP!_

Kobik hit the ground hard when one of the S.W.O.R.D. agents hit her right across the face. 

"Asshole!" Mack shouted. Roxanne and David stepped up to push the S.W.O.R.D. agent back (Roxanne: "Goddamit, did you really slap a child? What's wrong with you!?") when all of a sudden, the agent disappeared. Immediately, all the S.W.O.R.D. agents in the room backed up, not wanting to disappear into nothingness. The room went silent as Kobik stood up, her pupils white as paper.

"Kobik, no!" Mack shouted again. He and Elena pushed the agents away and ran to the girl, hoping to stop her. No one tried to pull them back, everyone too scared to try to intervene. Kobik was furious and as she squeezed her fingers into her palm, the group could feel the station start to shake. 

"Kobik, please, let's just go," Mack said, "If you can hear me, let's just get out of here, okay. Kobik! Please! Do you hear me?! You can't hurt these people! Come on, let's just walk out that door and **leave-** " 

The station stopped shaking as Mack, Elena, and Kobik disappeared from the room completely. Abigail, Roxanne, and David could only look at each other, confused. 

 

Location: Outskirts of Connorsville, Ohio (small town) 

 

Still in the same position as they were on the station, Mack and Elena started moving around, shocked by their situation. The first thing they noticed was just how hot the place was. Mack immediately took his shirt off, not used to the heat.

When he turned to Kobik, he saw that the girl's eyes went back to normal. She looked just as confused as they were. 

"What happened?" she asked, "Did I do something wrong-"

"-Kobik, are you okay?" Elena asked. 

"I think so."

"Kobik, where did you take us?" Mack asked, stepping towards the girl.

Kobik could only shrug, just as confused as they were. She then said, "You said you wanted us to leave...so I guess we did. Mack...I don't think I can control my powers."

* * *

END-TAG (JEMMA)

Location: Med Bay 

 

As Jemma sat in the dark, she could've sworn that she saw the chair in front of her move. She resisted the urge to call for the nurse, chalking it up to her imagination. But when she saw a pencil rolling to her hospital bed from out of nowhere, she began to worry. 

"Fitz?" she said, hoping that it was just him playing a prank on her, "If that's you, this isn't funny. I'm not laughing."

"Don't worry...it's not him. But you may recognize my voice."

_Wait...no, it can't be. That's...that's MY voice._

Jemma was speechless as she saw  _herself_ emerge from the dark. She tried to reach over to the nurse button but for some reason, she couldn't move. It felt like her arm was being pinned down by some invisible force. 

"This is just a dream," Jemma whispered to herself, "This isn't happening right now-"

"-oh, I can assure you it's not a dream," Other Jemma said, "You're definitely seeing me."

"Who are you?"

"I'll let you figure that out. It should be clear in the next few minutes." Other Jemma began running her fingers down where Jemma had been stabbed by Mercy. For some reason, it didn't feel out of the ordinary. If anything, it felt like  _she_ was touching her own wound. 

"The Enlightened Society tried killing you," Other Jemma said, "The assassin mentioned it was because Andrew made some bad deals right?"

"Right."

"Which is obviously about how he made a deal with the Inhuman Royal Family. Now...did she mention that the reason why Andrew made the deal was because of the Cosmic Cube?"

 _Cosmic Cube? What the bloody hell is that?_ Jemma shook her head for 'no'.

"Oh that's right," Other Jemma said, "You don't know what it is. Holden Radcliffe used to talk about it all the time. Said that it was the key to building his Framework, although he was proven wrong later on."

"What is it then?

"Doesn't matter at the moment...you'll find out later. What you need to know right now is that the Society had originally planned to leave you alone...until Andrew made that deal. From what I gathered, the Society planned on taking you out and programming a LMD version of yourself to go into Roxxon and find out how your brother secured the Inhumans' support. Can't send the LMD if the real one can pop up at any time, surely you can understand that."

"Okay but...who the hell are you?"

"I'm someone who really despises you. You know, I could just...kill you. Not only would it be a delicious moment for me, it would also hurt all of your friends. That would be incredibly satisfying. But, I found a worse punishment. No, I'm gonna keep you alive. And when I have full control of your body...I'll walk right into Gwendolynn Fitz's office, swear loyalty to the Enlightened Society, and ruin your reputation for good. Then...then I'll kill you, once you're fully disgraced and everyone who loved you will only remember you with disgust and hatred. Seriously Jemma...consider all the people you've encountered these past few years. Who else could I possibly be? There's only one person who hates you with a burning passion. I want you to think carefully, use your so-called brain, you do have two PhDs. Now...who am I?"

_No...it can't be...IT CAN'T BE._

Horrified, Jemma asked, "...AIDA?"

"You thought you've seen the last of me, bitch?"

"But...the Ghost Rider-"

"-burned me, yes, I know. But it turns out...the devil thought I was too interesting to let die. They told me that he'd never encounter a soul like mines before and wanted me to explore my potential. So I guess you could say I'm what people would refer to as a 'demon' now. And as my first act as a demon, I told the devil that I wanted some vengeance on the woman who ruined my life. So now, your soul is bound to me. Even if you killed yourself right now, I'd still follow you wherever you go, either to Heaven or Hell. Now although there was the unfortunate side effect of me losing Agnes Kitsworth's face and body and taking on your identity, I have to say, I quite like it. I've always liked English accents."

"AIDA, why are you doing this?!"

"Why am I doing this? Because I want to ruin your life before I let you die. I will take everything from you, destroy every little happy memory you have, and let you die with the knowledge that your entire life was reduced to misery and suffering. That's true vengeance. Anyways Jemma, get a good night's rest. We both need it."

At that, Jemma started screaming. Other Jemma- _AIDA-_ simply smiled and returned to the shadows. As the S.W.O.R.D. medical staff rushed into the room, Jemma couldn't stop screaming. It wasn't because of what she saw just now. It was because she could still feel AIDA's presence in her own mind. 

She was now one half-Jemma, one half-AIDA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter was a bit slow, it's definitely a different pace from the previous two chapters. But since this is the aftermath of Kobik losing control and Jemma's failed assassination attempt, it was bound to be slow. Anyways, after four episodes of bickering and in-fighting, it looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. are finally going to put aside their differences and work together to fight Advanced Idea Me-I MEAN, the Enlightened Society / Society of the Scientist Supreme. 
> 
> Well...let's see just how long this partnership will last. You never know when it comes to AOS. 
> 
> Now, all kidding aside, the main antagonists are indeed a remixed version of A.I.M.. The only reason why I'm not using the name is because "Iron Man 3" already used the title. Since I'm not a fan of A.I.M.'s depiction in IM3, I decided to write my own version of the group but under a different name. That said, I am considering connecting the A.I.M. from IM3 to this fic's version of A.I.M.. I just want to make sure it's believable and not forced.
> 
> Now I know what you're thinking; Will the Enlightened Society have the beekeeper uniforms from the comics? Well, just keep reading to find out :)
> 
> Anyways, if you want, please leave a kudos and a comment!
> 
> P.S.: Next chapter, like the previous chapter, will be a bit of a bottle episode since it'll only focus on Mack, Elena, and Kobik. Just a heads up in advance!
> 
> P.P.S.: So yeah...AIDA's back. Well, sorta. Elizabeth Henstridge is now playing AIDA in both vision form and human form. But yeah, betcha you didn't see that coming ;)


	8. Normal Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following Kobik's frantic escape from S.W.O.R.D., Mack and Elena watch over her as they try to find a way to contact the Peak. While bonding with Kobik, Mack and Elena befriend a local family and try to remain hidden due to their status as wanted fugitives. But soon, Mack and Elena realize that the town they're in has dark secrets.
> 
> While that's unfolding, Robbie and "Jemma" have an odd encounter and Daisy finds a lead on the Enlightened Society

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession: This is one of two chapters that I've been meaning to get to. I noticed that there's not that many Mack-Elena centered fics on this site so when I began storyboarding for my own fic, I knew I had to dedicate an entire chapter to them.
> 
> True, there's a bit of Daisy, Robbie, and Jemma but they're only in the beginning. I do hope that we get more Mack-Elena fics from the fandom. They're a very underrated couple. 
> 
> Now the SECOND chapter I really want to get to is coming soon. And boy oh boy, that one is gonna be fun ;)

DAISY

Location: Mess hall 

 

A few hours after Mack, Elena, and Kobik disappeared...

 

"Daisy, what are you doing?" 

Daisy Johnson looked up from her laptop to see Robbie Reyes standing over her. He handed her a steaming paper cup, which she drank carefully.  _Mmm...hot cocoa...needed that._

"Just doing some research," she said, putting the cup down, "I'm contacting my old friends at the Rising Tide. I figure that since Abigail Brand still considers us low-level agents, I should take some initiative."

"Where'd you get the laptop?"

"Um...borrowed it? If you see Doctor Collins looking around for his laptop, let me know so I can run, okay?"

"Daisy...are you sure you're okay right now? I mean...with what happened to Mack-"

"-okay, I'm not...I'm not stupid. I don't have portal-making abilities and I don't know where they are. So even though I can spend the next few hours worrying my ass off about their safety, panicking about it isn't going to do anyone any good. Best I can do at the moment is hope that they're okay and do some work."

"You don't think Kobik-"

"-I've just met the girl but I don't think she means any harm. I know it sounds like I'm projecting but I think Mack and Elena are okay. Call it...intuition or whatever but I don't think Kobik would just disintegrate them. I mean, for God's sake, she freed us from our cells because she thought she was helping us and she put the base on high alert because she wanted a cookie. Does that sound like the spawn of Satan to you?"

"Oh, I've met the spawn of Satan."

"Really? What's he like?"

"Daimon? Eh...he's cool, I guess. Really sucks at Mario Party 8. But his sister, Satana, is really fun to play beer pong with." 

"I swear, once we get through all of this Enlightened Society shit, I might just leave S.H.I.E.L.D. to join you on the road. Your adventures sound like fun."

"Trust me...there's a lot of evil shit our in the world that might overwhelm you."

"I spent a few days inside a virtual reality world created through the use of a mystical evil book of darkness which had recreations of people that died, most notable being my HYDRA ex-crush."

"Okay, fair enough."

Robbie motioned for her to move so he could sit next to her, which she did. Now with a good view of her laptop, he saw that Daisy was doing research on Jemma's assassin, Mercy. He was impressed; for an organization that S.H.I.E.L.D. made look like amateurs, the Rising Tide did an amazing job at compiling all the necessary information on Mercy Gibbons. Bank information, college transcripts, interviews she did, and even video logs of her work. It made Robbie wonder just how much information they had on him. 

"What'd you find? Anything good?"

“Well, that's what we're going to find out," Daisy said with a smile, "Alright, Mercy Gibbons. Jesus Christ-” 

“-what is it? Something on the Enlightened Society?”

“Um...no, unfortunately. But, as you can see, we have a lot to work with. However, most of it is unhelpful, unless you're really interested in what shoes she bought on July 16, 2013."

"Not that interested. Is there anything else? Anything remotely good?"

"Well, after a few hours just looking at this mess, listen to this. So I thought she’d be a member of S.W.O.R.D.’s security or infiltration teams but no, she’s a scientist. Graduated summa cum laude at Boston University with a bachelors degree in biochemistry, then went on to graduate summa cum laude again at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a masters degree in the same field. Here’s an interview she did with one of the school’s newspapers. Apparently, she planned on pursuing a PhD but she joined S.W.O.R.D. instead. Wanted to explore the world, I guess. So I guess you can say she's the anti-Jemma Simmons.”

“Let me guess, she was approached to join the Enlightened Society while in college.”

“Probably. I mean, none of the documents I have mention the Enlightened Society or any sort of secret society nonsense but she’s exactly the kind of person who’d be attracted to an organization like this.”

"Starting to think we should just round up all the people here with masters degrees or PhDs. Let us high school dropouts handle the interrogations."

Daisy felt guilty for chuckling at Robbie's statement, mainly because she knew that would mean locking up Fitz and Simmons. She then said, "Hmm...I've heard of racial profiling but never education profiling." 

"Did you find anything else?" Robbie continued, "Something that we-S.W.O.R.D.-can follow-up on? Like maybe a friend or family member we can track down-”

“-oh, I did find something. As far as we know, she has no living family members. Poor girl apparently lost her parents in a tornado. She grew up in Midwest America, right in the heart of Tornado Alley. She wasn’t too sociable either since my guys at the Rising Tide found no proof that she was in any clubs or student organizations in high school and college. But she did make one really close friend. It’s her lab partner when she was pursuing her masters degree.”

“What’s their name?" 

“Hmm...Marian Moreno. She was going to medical school around the time they met-”

“-Marian?”

Robbie pulled the laptop towards him and Daisy could see his face drop from the picture he saw. There was Mercy with her hands around Marian Moreno’s shoulders as they posed for a picture for a conference they were attending. There was something about Robbie’s expression that indicated that he knew more about this ‘Marian’ woman than he let on.

“It really is her,” Robbie said, handing the laptop back to Daisy.

“Who is she? Old friend? Family member-”

“-my ex. We broke up...damn, over ten years ago now.”

 _Oh...his ex. Didn’t see that coming._ Daisy swallowed an imaginary lump in her throat, not sure why she felt uncomfortable at the thought of Robbie having an ex-girlfriend.

"You still talk to her?" Daisy asked, not sure on what answer she wanted to hear.

Robbie, his face sullen, just shook his head for 'no'. He said, "We haven't spoken in years. We agreed that long-distance wasn't going to work so we...handled it like adults and broke up."

"So...no feelings for her?"

"I don't know...we'll just have to see when we get her. Why are you so interested?"

"Just a precaution! If there's one thing that S.H.I.E.L.D. taught me is that personal relationships tend to blow up in your face when work is involved. Just look at all of us. If Fitz and Simmons, the star couple, can't even maintain a relationship, then it's not a huge stretch to expect other relationships to have similar problems."

Robbie eyed Daisy, looking as if he was unconvinced by her flimsy excuse. Before Daisy could defend herself, Robbie waved her off and said, "Fine, whatever. Here I was thinking that you were only interested in it for gossip reasons."

"Oh come on, if there's any reason why I would be gossiping about you, it won't be for your love life. In case you've forgotten, it's no secret to anyone here that you could transform into a demon from hell with a burning skull for a head any time you want. I think that people are more interested in that rather than your love life." 

"I'm pretty sure people are. What I'm saying is that  _you_ are more interested in my love life for gossip reasons."

"You keep dreaming, Reyes."

Daisy nervously laughed as she closed the Rising Tide links and left the laptop on the bench. She then stood up and motioned for Robbie to follow her. 

As they walked, Daisy said, "So...this Marian Moreno...I read that she's currently working at the Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, Hawaii."

"So you're gonna talk to Brand about staging an operation to pick her up?" Robbie asked.

"No because one, that'll get me in trouble since I'm not supposed to be in contact with the Rising Tide...or even have a laptop. And two, Brand's busy with Coulson and May. Old people drama, I guess." 

"So what's the plan?"

"Well...I was hoping you could use your chain to whip us up a portal to Honolulu. Just you and me. We'll talk to Marian there and...we'll see where we go from there."

Robbie stopped, a smirk on his face as he put his hands on his hips. "Daisy Johnson," he said, emphasizing her name, "I thought we were working."

"We are!" Daisy said, incredulously.  _What's gotten into him?_

"Really? Because this sounds like a vacation to Hawaii under the guise of a top secret mission."

Daisy felt herself blush when she thought back to her choice of words.  _Just you and me._ _Portal to Honolulu_. She knew that Robbie was just joking around but she couldn't help but blush at the thought.

"I'm sure the parts where we have pina coladas and poi, followed up by deep sea diving are also part of this super secret mission, right?" Robbie continued, not even trying to hide his smirk. Daisy rolled her eyes and playfully punched him on the shoulder, which he pretended to be hurt from.

"I'm being serious, Marian is in Honolulu!" Daisy said, trying to contain her laughter.

"Just messing with you, girl. You looked like you need a laugh."

Daisy sighed at that. _Mack...Elena...Kobik._ Although she was still worried about them, Robbie's jokes did help, even a little bit. 

"Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome."

"Alright...so...let's go get your ex?"

"Yeah...let me just go to my room real quick. Need to get my car keys."

"You're picking up your Charger? But that's in Los Angeles...oh right, portals."

"I need my baby, okay. Who knows, we might get into a car chase while attending a luau-"

"-oh my god, stop!" 

* * *

ROBBIE

Location: The Peak (Robbie's designated quarters in the Level 1 housing area)

 

_Marian...it's been too long. I wonder if you still remember me._

Robbie Reyes shook off those thoughts as he stepped into his room. He quickly grabbed the car keys from the drawer closest to the door and placed them in his pocket. As soon as he did, though, that's when he noticed that his mirror was missing. Each living quarters was afforded one small mirror for agents to use. Although he had no plans to use his, it was still odd that it was missing. 

Then, just as quickly as he realized the mirror was missing, he realized he wasn't alone. Robbie turned towards his bed, ready to switch into the Rider. He stopped when he saw that it was Jemma Simmons, just lying on his bed. She sat up when she noticed Robbie was looking at her. Now, it was odd enough that Jemma was able to get into his room without a keycard. But adding the fact that she was supposed to be recuperating in the Med Bay and that his mirror was missing raised some justified concerns. 

Jemma looked into the garbage bin by Robbie's bed, then looked back at him. Before he could ask what she threw away, Jemma said, "Hello Robbie...sorry to disturb you."

"Interested in my garbage bin? What'd you throw away?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing really. I thought I threw something important away-"

"-how'd you get in my room, Simmons?"

"The door was open. You must've left it open or maybe the locks were broken."

"Okay...let's say that the locks were broken. Why'd you go in my room then? Also, you were stabbed in the shoulder, aren't you supposed to be recovering?"

Jemma then stood up and walked over to Robbie, taking her shirt off as she did. Feeling the second-hand embarrassment, Robbie, on instinct, turned away. Not that he didn't find her attractive, which he did, but he also knew that she was attached to Fitz and he wanted to be respectful of the couple. She still had her bra on, at least. Still looking away, Robbie said, "Simmons...please, for the love of God, put your shirt back on. I'm not into you like that."

"Oh hush now, I'm just trying to show you my wound," she said, "Come on, you asked for it so you can look. I won't tell Fitz." Robbie swore he heard her giggle after saying that. 

Taking a deep breath, Robbie turned around and looked at Jemma's shoulder, where the stab wound should be. Much to his surprise, it was gone. There was a scar where the crystal had gone through but for the most part, it was healed. Robbie's eyes perked up, not expecting such a quick recovery.

"S.W.O.R.D.'s medical staff is very competent," she said as she placed her shirt back on, "Abigail Brand spared no expense when it came to the equipment that S.W.O.R.D. is using. Definitely much better than the dreadful, archaic tools I had to work with back when I was still a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. I think I was wrong about the people here. They may be...cold, but they're efficient. I think that's why they've survived longer than S.H.I.E.L.D."

 _Is this even the same woman?_ "Wow...that's...quite the turn-around for you. I thought you hated being an intern-"

"-it's okay. I'm only here to serve my superiors. Besides, Commander Brand knows better than me. I'm just an insignificant biochemist, I'm no leader."

 _What. The. Hell?_ Robbie didn't know if he should take her back to the Med Bay or call Daisy and Fitz for help. He didn't really know this woman but he knew her enough to know that she wouldn't willingly degrade herself like that.

Taking Robbie off-guard again, Jemma said, "Did you like what you saw?" 

"Um...what?" Robbie asked, completely baffled. He knew what questions to ask but at the moment, they weren't coming to him. Everything that Jemma was doing was making his brain do backflips, it was just completely bizarre.  

"I saw you eyeing my body earlier. I know my breasts may not be as impressive as Daisy's but-"

"Okay, stop, stop, stop! Simmons, are you okay?”

"I don't know what you mean, Roberto. I'm perfectly...fine." Jemma, for some reason, paused before she said 'fine'. She then began to look confused, as if she were having a battle with her own thoughts. Robbie couldn't help but wonder if she really did need help. The problem was...he didn't know what kind of help she needed.

Jemma began to control her breathing as she moved about, not even acknowledging Robbie's presence. Robbie raised his eyebrow, unsure what Jemma was doing. She walked around his room, running her fingers across the wall. There was a certain…look in her eyes that Robbie couldn’t explain. It was like she was experiencing all of this for the first time. 

“I know we’ve been here for a while now,” Jemma said, catching Robbie off-guard again, “But I’m still not used to the walls on the Peak. They’re not like the walls on Earth. Everything here is…chrome and smooth. Dull as well. I prefer the walls on Earth.”

“Well, this is a space station. You can’t exactly have wood or brick walls up here.”

“Still, it’s quite strange to me. I’ve never been off of Earth so all of this is quite fascinating to me.”

 _Hold on, never been off of Earth?_ Robbie squinted his eyes, studying Jemma. Now something seemed really off. Unless Daisy and Fitz were lying to him, then Jemma should remember that she spent a few months on some distant planet away from Earth.

A thought occurred to him. He had dealt with people who were possessed by evil spirits before. In fact, that's how he had gained Farid's trust in the first place. It was a stretch but Robbie began wondering if Jemma may have been possessed by a spirit. _I mean...she was one of the few people to come in contact with the Darkhold. Maybe a specter followed her home after I took the book back._  Just to make sure she was okay, Robbie used a bit of the Rider to study her. His eyes turned yellow with fire as he scanned her soul. He wasn’t sure what he was trying to find but he wanted to make sure her soul was at least okay. 

“Something wrong, Robbie?” Jemma said, turning around suddenly.

Nothing. He didn’t detect anything abnormal about her. Aside from the fact that her soul was a little weaker than normal (usually the case when it comes to people who had near-death experiences), there were no dark spirits, no signs of possession…she was clean.  _Maybe she’s just sleep-deprived or something._

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Robbie said, turning the Rider off as he did, “It’s just…sorry, but you seem off.”

Something about those words triggered something in Jemma. Robbie took a step back, perplexed, as Jemma tried to smile. The smile was mixed in with a frown and it looked like she was having a battle with herself over what emotion she wanted to express. She settled for a smile but her eyes told a different story. 

Before Robbie could ask, Jemma said, “It’s just…I’ve been up here too long…and…oh god, excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom and splash some water on my face. You’re right, I’m a little stressed, you know, after my attack and everything.”

“Yeah, go ahead, splash some water.” 

At that, Jemma ran off. As she did, Robbie quickly turned around and looked into his garbage bin since Jemma had been looking at it since she showed up in his room. 

If he was having doubts before, his suspicions that there was something indeed wrong with her were now confirmed. Inside the bin were glass shards. His first thought was that Jemma tripped on the mirror but then he remembered that the mirror was embedded on the wall. Unless Jemma actually ripped the mirror off and then tripped on it, she must’ve intentionally broken it. After finding a shard with traces of blood, it was an almost certain fact that she had actually punched it.

_But why?_

* * *

~~JEMMA~~ AIDA  

Location: Abigail Brand's room 

 

Getting into Abigail Brand's personal quarters was one thing. But killing the guards to make her way inside? That was one thing Jemma Simmons wouldn't be able to recover from. Doesn't matter though. At the moment, she wasn't Jemma...she was AIDA. And AIDA could care less about Jemma's reputation. 

She knew she had to reach Earth to go forward with her plan but before doing so, she wanted to 'look the part'. The devil had made it clear exactly what she had been turned into and the fact that Robbie couldn't detect her presence confirmed its words. It was tempting to just reveal herself to him in that moment but AIDA resisted, especially with Jemma slightly emerging during that moment. 

AIDA opened Abigail's closet and began rummaging through the clothes. As she did, she heard Jemma's pesky voice talk to her. That was the one drawback to sharing a body with her mortal enemy. Still, ruining her reputation would be worth the annoyance. 

"What do you think you're doing!?" Jemma shouted. Her words didn't come out of her own mouth since AIDA was still in control. For now, at least. Still, AIDA heard them. 

"Just trying to play the part, Jemma," AIDA snickered, "I have to say...I'm really excited. You've yet to see what the devil has done to me."

"And what exactly did he do?!" 

When Jemma said those words, that was when AIDA found what she was looking for. A **[black, leather jacket](https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTAwMFg4NjQ=/z/-EkAAOSwD0lUc2Ad/%24_58.JPG) ** for women and luckily enough, it was her size. AIDA took the jacket and placed it on, admiring herself in the mirror. She then rolled her eyes when she saw Jemma appear in the mirror beside her. Just like what she did in Robbie's room, AIDA punched the mirror, shattering it completely.  _Just because we share this body doesn't mean I have to put up with you._

"You'll see," AIDA said, "In due time, you'll see."

Although the mirror was broken, the shards still reflected AIDA's (Jemma's) eyes as they turned yellow for a split second. She then exited the room to find (kidnap) a pilot who could take her to Earth. 

* * *

KOBIK

Location: Gas station shop, outskirts of Connorsville, Ohio

 

A few hours after Mack, Elena, and Kobik escaped the Peak...

 

"Okay, repeat what I just said."

"Don't wander off, don't get into trouble, don't use your powers, and if I'm confused, I should ask you or Elena for help."

"Good girl."

Mack playfully ruffled up Kobik's hair before turning to Elena in order to discuss their situation. It was boring adult stuff; how to contact the Peak, how to get food, water, and money in the meantime, and on and on and on. Of course, Kobik knew why they were talking. In fact, she felt guilty since she was the one who transported them to this random area to begin with. But before she could say she was sorry, Elena had told her that she wasn't angry at her. It was strange; most of the people on the Peak were angry at her for using her powers but it seemed like the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were more accepting of her powers. 

Kobik definitely liked S.H.I.E.L.D. more than S.W.O.R.D., that was for sure. 

Feeling bored, Kobik said, "Can I wait outside for a bit?"

Mack sighed as he grabbed a can of Pringles and placed it into Elena's shopping cart. 

"What'd I just say?" Mack said, his eyebrow raised. Kobik twiddled with her fingers, not wanting to get into any more trouble.

"Don't wander off, I know, I know. Sorry, Mack."

"Oh come on, Mack, it's just outside," Elena said as she placed some medicine into the cart, "She won't harm anyone. Besides, I've lost count of how many times Kobik has almost fallen asleep from our conversation."

Kobik smiled shyly at that. Admittedly, the past few hours were a bit of a blur since she had gotten so bored of Mack and Elena talking logistics. Mack conceded and turned to Kobik.

"Fine," he said sternly, "But you keep to yourself. Don't talk to anyone and if someone approaches you, you walk away. Stranger danger and all that stuff. Understand?"

"Yes sir," Kobik said, nodding her head. With Mack and Elena's blessing, Kobik stepped outside the shop, sitting down on a nearby bench. She took in the rays of the sun beaming down on her. It was a nice change of pace from the Peak. Instead of the cold, dingy feeling of the space station, everything here was vibrant and warm. Although there was the smell of gas in the air, the smells were still better since they felt real. Nothing about this place felt manufactured. Although she still felt guilty for dragging Mack and Elena into this mess, she was at least grateful that she took them to a place with so much life to it. 

As Kobik looked around, she heard a loud yelp coming from down the street. Listening closely, she realized that it wasn't an out-loud yelp but a mental yelp. She focused on the voice to figure out what was happening.

_"Ow," the voice was thinking. It was a boy's voice, possibly around her age...whatever the hell that was, "Should not have done that jump."_

Kobik continued listening and realized that the boy was near. He seemed to be moving around on a...bike? Skateboard? Unicycle? Motorcycle? She couldn't tell just from the thoughts. Just as the boy was moving away from her, she heard another loud yelp, this time both out-loud and mental. Kobik gasped when she realized that the boy had lost his balance and was rolling down a hill. 

She knew she was going to regret this but knowing that someone nearby was hurt, she had to do something to help. What kind of person would she be if she just ignored this poor boy. Fortunately, the boy wasn't too far from the gas station. Just a few feet ahead, she saw the small hill which the boy fell from. He was lying on the ground, clutching his right arm in pain with his bike right beside him. Kobik could hear him complaining that his arm might be broken from the fall.   

Gingerly, she approached the boy and turned him over so she could get a good look at his arm. The boy's eyes were shut and his face was covered in grass and dirt. With a few small brushes, Kobik pushed away the blades of grass and the dirt on the boy's face. But in trying to inspect the boy's face, she had unintentionally gotten close to him. The boy opened his eyes and immediately, his face turned red when he saw that Kobik's face was just inches away from his. 

"You're fine!" Kobik exclaimed, "I saw that you were hurt so I-"

The boy yelped again and moved away from Kobik. He stood up a little too fast, clutching his injured right arm as he did. Kobik folded her arms, feeling hurt.  _Why is it that whenever I try to help someone, they think I'm doing something bad? Maybe Mack's right...maybe I should just stay away from people from now on._

"I'm sorry," Kobik said, her bright mood dampened by the boy's reaction, "I'll just...I'll just go now-"

_“Oh god...really cute girl talking to me...what do I do…”_

Kobik’s eyes perked up and her cheeks started to burn. Cute? That was the first time she’s heard someone describe her that way. _Maybe I interpreted his reactions the wrong way?_  The boy chuckled a bit and stepped a little closer to Kobik, his own cheeks still burning with red. The boy then lifted his bike and, after making sure the bike was fine, turned to Kobik, unable to make eye contact with her without embarrassing himself.

“Hi,” the boy said out loud, “Um...thank you, for...um...helping me out. I was in a bit of a pickle...back there. Friends told me I shouldn't bike on Hangman's Hill but I told them that I could-”

“You think I’m cute?” Kobik asked, quickly regretting her own words. The boy made a few choking sounds as his face turned even redder. Kobik didn't think it was possible for someone's face to get this red. 

“Uh...I don’t think that...why would you even think that I’d-”

“-I heard you say that-” Kobik quickly closed her mouth, putting her hands over them. _Stupid, stupid! Mack said not to draw attention!_

“I never said anything...unless...wait, can you read my mind?” The boy studied her, now more curious than embarrassed. Kobik struggled to find something to say.

“No, why would you think that-”

“-you’re an Inhuman!” the boy exclaimed, catching Kobik off-guard.

“Wait, no I’m-”

“-that’s awesome!”  

Kobik stopped talking, now confused. _He thinks I’m cool? Because I’m an Inhuman?_

"No way!" the boy said again, "We don't see many Inhumans around these parts. Oh, my name is Alex Power! I live around here!"

Kobik wanted to say her name. She wanted to respond but all she could think of were Mack's words. _Don't wander, don't get into trouble, don't use your powers, and if I'm confused, I should ask you or Elena for help._ Feeling hopelessly stuck, Kobik did the one thing that came to mind; she turned around and ran back towards the gas station.  

Now, if Kobik had stayed, she would've noticed that two other people were watching their conversation. They joined Alex and followed Kobik back to the gas station. 

* * *

MACK

Location: Gas station shop, outskirts of Connorsville, Ohio  

 

"Mack, Elena!"

Alphonso Mackenzie turned around and saw Kobik run into the shop, panting.  _Oh no, what did she do this time?_

"Kobik," Mack said, calmly, "Did you-"

"-I heard this boy complaining that his arm might be broken. So I walked over to find him and he knows that I have powers! I'm sorry, I just wanted to help him!"

"Oh, sweetie," Elena said, taking a deep breath, "We told you not to wander off."

"But you also told her she could wait outside the shop," Mack retorted. Elena rolled her eyes as she placed the cart down and walked outside the shop with Kobik. Mack followed, ready to deal with whoever Kobik ran into.

Outside, an elderly man and his two kids were approaching the gas station. The boy was clutching his right arm, visibly hurt. Mack cringed, hoping that Kobik wasn't the cause for it-

_"I didn't hurt him, I swear!" Kobik said to him in his head._

_"Kobik, we've talked about this, no speaking to people in their minds without their permission," Mack thought, calmly._

_"Sorry Mack."_

Mack could see Kobik's usually-cheery face deflate into sadness. 

"Hello there, stranger," the elderly man said, "I saw my son talking to that little girl and we just wanted to say thanks to her for coming to his aid."

"She helped?" Mack said, "What happened, exactly?"

"I fell down the hill while riding my bike," the boy said.

The other kid, a girl around the boy's age, was texting on her phone, not really paying attention to the situation. When she finished her text, the girl said, "Are you three new around here or just passing? It's a small town so we know pretty much everyone who lives around here."

 _Ah shit, time to come up with a good excuse._ "Uh..yeah, we're just passing by," Mack said, "Glad to hear that little...Millie here was able to help your boy."

_"Millie?" Kobik asked in Mack's head._

_"It's a fake name, we can't use our actual names," Mack thought, "Me and Elena are still fugitives, okay. Just play along, Kobik."_

_"Okay...but is Millie short for Millicent or Milford or Milhouse-"_

_"You're overthinking it. You're just Millie okay."_

"Millie, huh?" the elderly man said, "Well, thank you Millie, we greatly appreciate your help. Hmm...now that I've brought it up, I didn't catch your names."

"Henry," Mack said, using the name he used in his first undercover mission, "This is my wife-"

"-Natalia," Elena said.

"And Millie here is-"

"-our daughter. Me and Henry adopted her a few years ago. You see, we would like to have kids of our own one day but my husband here is, unfortunately...well, let's just say we can't have a baby through the normal way. So, adoption was the next best option." 

 _Well done, Elena._ Mack could've sworn he saw Kobik perk up when Elena said that she and Mack were her parents. 

"Good on you both," the elderly man said, "Nice to see people stepping up to take care of the kids who need parents in their lives. I have a cousin who worked in the foster care system and boy oh boy, that's not a fun time. I know that's an understatement but believe me when I say, I respect anyone willing enough to put themselves out there and take on this tremendous responsibility."

"Thank you," Mack said. The elderly man extended his hand and Mack shook it. So far, so good.

"I'm Doctor James Power, by the way," the man said, "And before you ask, no, I can't help you with your flu. But if you have a problem concerning anti-matter and nuclear fission, then I'm your guy. This here is my son, Alex, and my daughter, Julie. There's actually two more, Jack and Katie, and my wife, Margaret. Margaret's out of town, visiting family in New Zealand, Jack's in Utah for some sort of track-and-field camp, and Katie's in Georgia for a color guard competition."

"Pretty big family."

"Yeah, guys at work call us the 'Power pack' because there's so many of us. But hey, enough about us, where are you three headed? Any place in particular?"

"Um...just passing through." As soon as Mack said that, a thought came to his head. It was a dirty trick but it was worth trying. _We do need a place to stay tonight. Feel guilty about this later._ "We were actually using a RV but it was stolen last night. All of our stuff is gone, even our money."

Mack gave himself a verbal high-five when he saw the Power family react the way he wanted them to. Elena, playing along, put her best "sad face" on while Kobik just looked at Mack, confused on why he lied to these strangers.

"Oh no," James said, sympathetically, "So you don't have a place to stay at the moment?"

"No, were just...we're trying to figure out something to do for the night. I'm thinking we can find a motel but I'm not sure how we can pay."

"Oh dear, that won't do. Here, your family can stay over at my place. We have a guest room big enough for five people and Millie can room with Julie. Come on, you three can spend the night with us."

"Really? I mean, we don't want to be a burden-"

"-oh, no, no, no, no, I'm a Christian man. What kind of Christian would I be if I ignored a family in need, especially a couple that has already gone out of their way to help a child who needed parents."

"Thank you so much-"

"-no problem. And hey, at dinner, we can discuss your daughter's abilities! My son says she's an Inhuman and that she can read minds. Honestly, I've never met an Inhuman before! This is exciting for all of us."

Mack nervously laughed before turning to Kobik, who could only give him a shy smile. _Oh boy...hopefully this won't turn out to be an awkward night._  

* * *

MACK

Location: Kitchen area, the Power family home

Time: Night 

 

Dinner surprisingly went well for Mack, Elena, and Kobik. It was strange...Mack had been in space for so long that he had gotten used to eating in the Peak's chrome-like mess hall. Food was always freeze-dried since they were in outer space, although there were certain occasions where the crew was able to eat regular food. Just eating normal food for an ordinary dinner didn't feel normal to Mack anymore. It didn't help that the food he was eating was new to him.

"Mmm, what is this?" Elena asked. Mack mentally thanked Elena since he was seconds away from asking the same thing. 

"Garlic fried rice," James Power said as Kobik took a big bite next to him, "On the side is butternut squash soup. Also, this was my first attempt at making Szechuan-style chicken. I know, I know, I'm not trying to appropriate anyone's culture. It's just...when I visited L.A., I had Szechuan-style chicken for the first time and just one bite in, I knew I had to learn how to make it on my own."  

"It's delicious!" Kobik said. James Power smiled at that while Mack played with the girl's hair, amused at her outburst.

"Glad you liked it, honey," James continued, "Feel free to get some more, I made a lot. Alex, here, is definitely an eater but he's only one boy. And Julie...well, she's quote unquote 'on a diet'."

"Thanks dad," Julie Power said, barely paying attention as she sent another text message to her friend.

"Well, we really appreciate all of this," Mack said, finishing his dinner. He stood up and grabbed Elena and Kobik's empty bowls, saying, "Since you're letting us stay the night, I'll wash the dishes."

"Oh, come on, you're a guest here!" James said. He stood up and took the bowls from Mack's hands. "My wife would kill me if she learned that I let a guest do chores around the house."

"We don't wanna be a burden-"

"-it's no burden! Come on, come back to the table. I'll have Julie do the dishes-"

"-dad!" Julie shouted, finally looking up from her phone.

"Hey, unlike you, you aren't a guest. Come on, consider this your punishment for texting during dinner." Julie grunted in annoyance before plugging her phone into the nearest wall charger. She then walked over to the sink and began cleaning the bowls.

As the night continued, Mack, Elena, and Kobik continued to bond with the Power family. Much to Mack's surprise, talking about Kobik's "Inhuman" abilities was not as awkward as he imagined it would be. Not only were James, Alex, and Julie accepting of her powers but they treated her as any other person. To S.W.O.R.D., she was a monster who needed to be contained. To the Power family...she was just a normal girl. They had only been with the family for one night and Mack could already tell this was a much better, healthier environment for Kobik to be in. He liked it when she was happy. It bothered him when she wasn't so to see her making jokes with Alex and Julie Power, kids around her age, warmed his heart.

Eventually, the night began to take its toll on the children, so they were sent off to bed. The Power kids slept in two bedrooms, one for the girls and one for the boys. Kobik took up Katie Power's bed for the night while Mack and Elena were offered the guest room. Not feeling tired, however, Mack, Elena, and James stayed in the kitchen to talk among themselves. It was fun; since Mack had spent the past few months stuck in a room with Coulson, it was nice to bond with someone else for a change.

"Kids are fast asleep," James said as he cracked open a few bottles of beer with Mack and Elena. Mack took it but examined the bottle first when he didn't recognize the brand.

"Rochefort Trappistes 10," James continued, noticing Mack's confusion, "It's pretty good. My wife introduced me to it."

Taking James' word for it, Mack took a sip of his beer. He couldn't help but sigh at how good the beer was as it went down his throat.  _Goddamn...that's good. What have I been drinking all these years?_

"Man oh man, that goes down well," Mack said. Elena nodded, agreeing, as she took another sip from her bottle. 

"Good to hear. Now, if you don't mind me asking, where were you two and Millie going to again?"

"Never said but we were planning on seeing the Niagara Falls," Mack said, coming up with a quick excuse. He wasn't entirely lying; he always wanted to visit so it wouldn't take him much to convince James that they were on a road trip to visit Canada.  

"We wanted to see the falls since none of us had ever seen it," Elena said, backing Mack up. 

"Well, it's certainly beautiful," James said, taking another sip of his beer, "I was there during one of my friend's marriage proposals."

"Sounds lovely," Mack said, "Wish I did that for Natalia."

“Hmm...so...Henry and Natalia? Those are interesting names. I think I like Alphonso Mackenzie and Elena Rodriguez better.”

 _Oh shit._ Mack lowered his bottle, ready to fight James Power if he needed to. Instead of attacking, however, James pushed forward the bowl of chips that were in front of them and encouraged them to eat.

“It’s okay,” James said, “I knew the moment I saw you two. S.H.I.E.L.D. is unfortunately quite popular nowadays but for the wrong reasons."

"So, where do we go from here?" Mack asked, unsure of what to do in this situation. 

"I’m not going to turn you into the authorities. Not everyone has stopped believing in S.H.I.E.L.D., okay.”

“Why haven’t you given up?” Mack said, curious. James chuckled slightly before rolling up his left arm sleeve. There was a large scar, going from his wrist all the way up to his elbow. Mack and Elena cringed at how bad the wound must’ve felt at the time.

“I got this trying to save my daughter, Julie. It was around the time when S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Ghost Rider were dealing with that Eli Morrow fellow. We were visiting Los Angeles at the time and there was a mini earthquake near the area we were at. Julie got stuck under the rubble and I was able to pull her out...but not before my arm got slashed by a falling metal beam. When I was recovering in the hospital, I saw the interview that Jeffrey Mace gave about how S.H.I.E.L.D. was working with the Quake in order to save the day. I owe S.H.I.E.L.D. for stopping Eli, that’s why I don’t believe your organization is guilty of the things that the media says you are. I hate to use the term but it's all 'fake news' to me.”

“So...you’re still with us even though Quake tried to kill Glenn Talbot?”

“Tell me, Alphonso, do you think she did?”

“I know for a fact that she didn’t. I’d explain but it’d take way too long. Long story short, it was a robot working for the bad guys." 

Surprisingly, James seemed to take that admission well. “I’d believe it. I mean...if that was really Quake, why would she shoot him? Quake would’ve just used her powers to kill the guy on the spot. Just didn’t make sense to me. Plus, if that really was a S.H.I.E.L.D.-sanctioned assassination, you would think they’d have a better strategy to carry it out discreetly. Plus, the guy didn’t die! I didn’t believe it before and I certainly don’t believe it now.”

"You're acting awfully calm for someone who just heard that the real culprit was a robot."

"I've seen a lot of weird things in my lifetime, okay. Things like this don't surprise me anymore." 

"Well said." 

Mack finished his beer and stood up to throw it away. As he and Elena walked away to go to bed, Mack turned and said, "Thanks for the drink."

"Don't mention it," James said, finishing his own bottle.

"Also, about earlier-"

"-don't even worry about it. I know why you lied to me. You had to watch out for yourselves. Trust me, I don't take offense."

"Thanks...and by the way, Millie is a fake name. Her real name's Kobik, okay."

"Kobik? Is that...Greek?"

"Yeah, let's just go with that." 

* * *

_ ELENA _

_Location: Central Cemetery of Bogota, Bogota, Columbia_

_Year: 2002 (Elena is 20 years old)_

_(imagine the entire conversation in Spanish)_

 

_"Thought I'd find you here."_

_Elena Rodriguez looked up and saw her twelve-year-old cousin, Francisco, walking towards her with two arepas at hand. He gave her one before taking a seat next to her on the bench she was sitting on._

_"How'd you know?" Elena asked, already knowing the answer._

_"Ximena died two weeks ago, it's still fresh in everyone's minds," Francisco said, "I know you two were close...it wasn't hard to find you."_

_Elena took a deep breath before taking a bite of the arepa. She hated all of this. Why did her baby cousin have to die this young? Ximena Rodriguez was only three when she died in a car crash. Of course, the driver escaped prison time and any form of liability to the incident. Damn police, always looking out for each other. Even when it came to infants, they looked out for each other._

_Elena already hated the police in Columbia but the fact that the police officer who killed Ximena wasn't even going to be punished for the incident made her blood boil. She wanted to burst into the department and kill every single cop she could find. It was a reckless, dangerous thought but she wanted someone to pay for her family's troubles._

_Francisco bit into his arepa, looking somber as he did. He then said, "Camila told me that she's jealous of you."_

_Really, Camila? Elena eyed Francisco carefully. Although she wasn't close to her cousin Camila, Camila trusted her enough to watch over Ximena. It was tough running a restaurant so there were times where she would ask family to help her out. Usually, she would ask Elena to babysit her daughter. That was how Elena got attached to Ximena in the first place._ _To hear that Camila was jealous of her was confusing._

_"Why is she jealous?" Elena asked._

_"She says that Ximena would sometimes say you were her mom," Francisco said, wiping some crumbs off of his face, "Apparently, you spent so much time with Ximena that she accepted you as her mom. Camila's not really angry about that because she knows that it's because she spends so much time running the shop. But still...she wishes she could be you."_

_"It's just baby talk. Everyone knows Camila's the mom, that's what matters."_

_"Well, regardless, you were still a great mom. At least in my opinion. Ximena really loved you. Even Camila admitted that you took better care of her than she did."_

_Elena waved off Francisco, not wanting to hear more. She was just the aunt, nothing more, nothing less. Besides, she was too young to be a mom. She knew how to take care of a baby but she wasn't ready to raise a baby._

_"Camila is Ximena's mother," Elena said, throwing the wrapper of the arepa away, "I don't want to hear anymore of this crap that I was a better mother."_

_"Not mother...mother figure-"_

_"-Francisco, seriously. Drop it. I won't have you disrespect Camila around me."_

_"I'm not trying to disrespect her, I'm just saying. When Ximena was sick a few months ago, you were the first one to take her to the hospital and you stayed there until you were sure she would be okay. When Camila didn't know where the baby formula was, you took it upon yourself to buy some, even though no one asked you to do it. When the shop was robbed, I saw you nearly get arrested for beating the punk who made Ximena cry. You may not like hearing it...but it's true. You were a great mother to her."_

_Elena took a deep breath and exhaled. She shook her head, not wanting to accept the words. How could she? There was only one thought racing through her head every time Francisco tried convincing her that she was great at raising Ximena;_

_If I was actually as great a mother figure that Francisco says I am, Ximena would still be alive. But she's not because I'm not a great mother._

_Elena wiped away a single tear before walking away from the cemetery. But before she and Francisco left, she whispered a soft goodbye to Ximena's grave._  

* * *

KOBIK

Location: Julie Power's room 

Time: Morning 

 

Kobik woke up to the sound of fingers clacking on a solid surface. As she groggily got up from her bed, she saw that Julie Power was still on her phone, texting away. It was a strange sight for her to see. Back at the Peak, everyone used their phones for something serious. Most of the time, it was people giving other people orders. But here, they used their phones for...fun? Kobik didn't think that was possible. Curious, she stood up and walked across the room to talk to Julie.

"Good morning," Kobik said. Julie turned to her, a small smile on her face.

"Morning Millie...or should I say Kobik?"  _Wait...what?_ Kobik shifted a little, unsure how Julie knew her real name. Julie laughed, sitting up from her bed and putting her phone down.

"It's okay, dad came by earlier and explained," Julie said, "I kinda guessed though. This town may be small but we're not backwards. I still watch the news. Honestly, it's amazing your mom and dad have been able to avoid detection this long."

"You know my mom and dad?"

"Yeah, they're the Slingshot and Alphonso Mackenzie, the S.H.I.E.L.D. fugitives." 

 _Oh._ Kobik nodded her head. She already knew that they were fugitives but to hear that the whole country was after them was a depressing thought. It made her appreciate Abigail Brand for what she did, even though it was for petty, immoral reasons. 

"So...you're fine with us staying here?" Kobik asked, unsure what answer she was looking for. Julie just shrugged before turning back to her phone and sending out a text. 

"If dad's fine with it, then I'm fine," she simply said, "Besides, I owe S.H.I.E.L.D. for saving my family's life."

"What happened?"

"They stopped the city from being destroyed. Well...them and the Ghost Rider. He's such a badass. Hey, speaking of Ghost Rider, wanna see something I made?"

Kobik nodded her head for 'yes'. Truthfully, she was nervous. She didn't really know what to make of this girl. She was friendly, that was for sure, but she also seemed distant since she seemed to care more for what was on her phone. Still, Kobik kept her thoughts to herself as Julie stood up to go to a green toy chest. She opened it and Kobik watched as Julie moved several items around. 

“I made this after my family’s trip to Los Angeles,” Julie said as she dug into her toy chest. Kobik gasped when Julie pulled out a plushie that resembled the Ghost Rider. It even matched Robbie’s jacket design perfectly.

“That’s the Ghost Rider!” Kobik exclaimed. Julie handed the plushie over to her and Kobik took it, not even trying to hide her grin.

“You like it?” Julie asked. Kobik shook her head for ‘yes’.

“He’s a cool guy,” Kobik said.

“Oh, you’ve met him?”

 _Oh, that’s right. Not supposed to talk about this kind of stuff. Just play it off, Kobik._ “No, I don’t know him but I think he’s cool.”

“He is! He saved me, my daddy, and a whole bunch of people that day. You can have that one if you want.”

“Oh, no, I don’t want to take this, it’s yours.”

“It’s fine, I made two! Besides, you really like the plushie. Consider it my token of friendship.”

“...friendship?”

“Um...yes? I mean...are we friends? I'd like to think that we are.”

Kobik took a moment, considering Julie’s words. She smiled before nodding her head. It was strange. She was close to Mack and Elena and it seemed like Daisy and Robbie liked her enough. But she didn’t have anyone she could consider a ‘friend’. She liked the Power family. Although she’s known them for only one day, they were some of the nicest people she had ever met. 

So when Kobik shook her head for ‘yes’, she sincerely meant it. Julie smiled and moved in to hug her.

The two girls then sat down on Julie's bed, Kobik still clutching the Ghost Rider plushie as if it were attached to her.  _PING!_ Julie turned to her phone as soon as it went off and Kobik's face dropped, unhappy that Julie's attention was somewhere else.

"Sorry about this, Kobik," Julie said as she wrote her text. "Just dealing with stuff. Middle school problems." 

_"Ugh, can't believe Violet did this! Such a bitch-"_

Kobik wanted to say something but she knew better than to talk about a person's private thoughts. She had gotten in trouble for that before and has since learned from her mistakes. Still, it was difficult to just listen to someone's problems and not be able to do anything to help. She felt useless, unable to use her powers for good. Then again, she reminded herself that not everyone has the power to read minds. So she took a deep breath, trying to block out Julie's voice. 

_"Just because Barbara asked her out to the dance does not give her a right to blow up on her like that!"_

_Okay Kobik...just pretend that you didn't hear any of that. I don't know Barbara and Violet so I shouldn't get involved-"_

"Kobik," Julie said, pulling Kobik out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" Kobik said, surprised to hear Julie's voice.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Um...sure, go ahead."

"So...I know this might be kinda personal but...I wanted an outsider's opinion. Someone more like me. Dad has his own way of looking at things and Alex...well, Alex is a guy. I really want another girl's opinion on this."

"Um...okay." Kobik didn't know whether to feel honored or scared that Julie was confiding in her with this information. 

"Okay, so, I have this friend named Barbara. She's not exactly my best friend but we do get along, right. Barbara is...um...well, she's...it's difficult to say since she made me promise not to tell anyone since she's keeping this a secret. Let's just say she's different. Not like you, though, she's not an Inhuman. But she's different."

Although Julie chose not to say the reason, Kobik was able to piece together that this was about Violet.  _Is it because Violet is a girl and...girls aren't supposed to like other girls?_ Kobik was always confused about that. Although there were too many conversations to listen in on when she was with S.W.O.R.D., she did pick up on one conversation concerning this issue. She never understood why people had issues with same sex couples. From just hearing the thoughts of the S.W.O.R.D. agents who were LGBT, Kobik didn't really hear a difference in their thoughts compared to the rest of S.W.O.R.D.. Although she dismissed this problem since it didn't really apply to her, hearing Julie talk about it made her realize just how illogical the hate was. 

"What happened to Barbara?" Kobik asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well...someone found out that she was different and got really angry at her. Now, Barbara's thinking about dropping out from school. That's who I've been talking-er, texting-to these past few days. What do you think, Kobik?"

"I think...I think that being different isn't bad. I'm different but that doesn't mean I want to hurt people or that I'm bad or anything like that. I'm just not what people would consider 'normal', that's all." 

"Well said. Thank you Kobik. I mean...the problem is a lot more complicated but that was nice to hear." 

Kobik nodded her head at that. As the morning continued, Kobik began to bond with Julie over more simple subjects, such as their favorite TV shows (which Kobik didn't have since she's never watched TV), their favorite book (Kobik picked out the 1999 German novel 'Blueprint', which Julie said was a weird choice), and so on. Their conversation was mundane but Kobik still loved every second of it. For once, the world wasn't moving at a fast pace. She could just sit back and relax while talking about stuff that didn't have to do with missions, protocols, threats, and all the other things that she had come to hate about S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D..

Even though the conversation had to end eventually, Kobik still cherished these moments where she could just be normal. It filled her with dread, knowing that this peace wasn't going to last. 

 

Location: Living room of the Power family home  

Time: Afternoon

 

_Mack: "Sorry James but...me, Elena, and Kobik have to be on our way soon."_

_Elena: "Yes. While we wish we could stay, we don't want to be a burden to you and your family."_

_James: "Well, I'd ask for you three to stay but I know all of you have a bullseye on the back of your heads. Tell you what, let me at least help with preparing you all for your journey. We can go downtown, pick out some supplies. As for a vehicle...well, not gonna lie but we may need to use some not-so-legal methods to acquire one. It's gonna take a few days but we'll manage."_

_Mack: "Thank you. Seriously, you're going above and beyond than I would've expected."_

_James: "Anything to help people who dedicate their whole lives to helping other people. I should be the one thanking you both for your service. Now, I do have to warn you both, you may be recognized downtown. It's best to let me do the talking, okay..."_

While Mack, Elena, and James Power were out buying supplies and Julie Power heading out to buy ice cream for the both of them (Julie: "It's dulce de leche, trust me, you'll love it!"), Kobik decided to wander around the Power family home. She was going to miss all of this. Part of her wanted to try to convince Mack and Elena that they were safe with the Powers and that they should stay but she didn't want to piss them off any more than they were. It was her fault that they were in this situation to begin with. 

At least, that's what she kept telling herself. Mack and Elena didn't seem to be too angry with her and even in their thoughts, they didn't express any disappointment or resentment. But still, Kobik couldn't shake the idea that Mack and Elena were somehow masters of controlling their own thoughts and that they really did despise her for everything that's happened. 

 _No...these are bad thoughts. Mister Mackenzie and Miss Rodriguez said to only focus on the good._ Kobik stopped and took a few deep breaths, managing to control her breathing. Mack's technique was working wonders for her and she felt herself getting stronger each day. When she had calmed down a considerable amount, she began hearing piano noises from the second floor. 

 _That must be Alex!_ Curious, Kobik walked upstairs and carefully opened Alex's bedroom door. The boy was sitting by a dark, upright mahogany piano. He was playing a few notes and judging from his thoughts, he was lost in his music. Kobik then took a step inside, accidentally stepping on a potato chip. Alex stopped and turned towards Kobik, causing her to blush. 

It didn't escape her that Alex's first thought of her was that he found her cute. She twiddled with her fingers, the situation unfamiliar to her. 

After a silence that seemed to last forever, Alex said, "Hey there...Kobik."

"Hey Alex," Kobik said, relieved that she wasn't the one to start the conversation, "I heard you playing downstairs so I...I, uh-"

"-you wanted to come up and see?"

Kobik shook her head for 'yes'.

“Have you ever played the piano before?” 

Kobik shook her head for no. With a wide smile on his face, Alex Power moved a little to the left to make room for Kobik to sit down. Taking the hint, she sat down next to him. She hoped that it wasn’t obvious that she was starting to sweat from how nervous she was.

"How long have you been playing?" Kobik asked.

“I started playing piano when I was five,” Alex continued, “Started with classical music with composers like Haydn and Bach but then moved onto more modern day artists later on. I don't know, I never really liked the classical stuff.”

“Who did you start playing then?”

“Um...Queen. I remember dad gave me an entire history lesson about the band when I said I loved ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. I also like funk, blues, and jazz. Not smooth jazz though.”

"Why not?"

"It's too...weird. I don't like listening to smooth jazz either."

"Oh...okay."

"So...I was practicing for this rehearsal I'm part of next week. Mom, dad, Julie, Jack and Katie are all gonna be there. I was going to invite you and your parents to watch but I heard dad talking about helping them move."

Kobik, sadly, nodded her head for 'yes'. It was a shame. Now that Alex mentioned it, she was looking forward to seeing him perform live. She imagined that she would spend the days before with Julie and Katie Power, getting ready for the show. In her books, she had read several stories where the characters had to dress formally before a big social event. It always sounded like fun on paper. 

"That sucks," Alex continued, "But...I mean, since you're leaving in a few days, I could always play something just for you-"

“Play something then!” Kobik quickly said, her mouth forming a wide smile, excited to see Alex play. Alex blushed a little before pressing a few notes on the piano. It was the same song he was playing before she entered the room. It was a nice, pleasant tune and just a few seconds in, Kobik began humming along to the beat. 

As he played, Alex said, “This is [‘City of Stars’ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTWqwSNQCcg)from the La La Land soundtrack. It's not too hard to play but it's still a really nice track. Have you seen that movie?”

Kobik shook her head for ‘no’.

“Well, if we have time...maybe we could watch it together?”

“Yes please! I like this song so...maybe I’ll like the movie?”

“Yeah, totally. But...it’s a….how do I say this...it’s a…. _kissing movie._ ”

Kobik's eyebrows perked up, not sure what he was getting at. “What does that mean, I don't get it?”

Alex, his face a bright red, managed to say, “It’s not a movie that’s...um...it’s not an action movie...um, uh….it’s for-”

“-romance?”

“Yeah, actually.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun! I used to read romance books all the time back home.” It was true. S.W.O.R.D. provided several books for her to read and a significant number of them were romance novels. ‘Wuthering Heights’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, and 'The Ramsay Scallop' were here favorites. Alex, for some reason, chuckled nervously at Kobik's words. Listening closely to Alex's thoughts, she heard him think, _"Oh god...going to watch a kissing movie with a really cute girl. Need to ask Julie later for advice on how to deal with this."_

"Wait...did you just hear all of that?" Alex said out loud. Kobik made a little yelp, caught off-guard. She turned away, her face a bright red. 

"Sorry!" she said sincerely, "I can't help it. I don't want to listen to everyone but I don't know how to turn it off completely-"

"-it's okay, it's okay. I'm not offended. Just...you know, don't tell anyone else what I'm thinking about, okay?"

"Okay."

"Promise?" He held out his pinky finger. Kobik, having a vague idea of what he was doing, held out her own pinky. Alex then wrapped his pinky finger around hers. She ignored the butterflies in her stomach when he completed the motion.

"This is a pinky promise," he explained, "It's like a contract when it comes to promises. Now...do you swear that you won't tell anyone about my thoughts?"

"I swear, Alex." 

"Okay...that's, uh...that's good to hear." Alex Power let go of Kobik's hand and went back to the piano. He played as Kobik began to softly sway to the music, the melody feeling calm and soothing.

The music was so relaxing and enjoyable that Kobik chose to willingly ignore Julie Power, who had since returned to the house and began taking photos of her and Alex behind their backs. It was amusing to Kobik that Julie even tried sneaking up on them both. But just this once, Kobik decided to let it slide. 

* * *

MACK

Location: Guest room, Power family home

Time: Night  

 

"I think we should stay."

Mack sighed as he changed his shirt. That was the one thing that Elena had been bugging him about since they had returned from supply shopping with James. Although he wanted to move on and find a way to contact the Peak, Elena saw the situation differently. She argued that they were driving blind since they were unsure where to go and risked being recognized. They were lucky to not have been spotted while buying supplies but both of them knew that luck could easily switch.

"It's risky," Mack said, lying down on the bed as he did. He grabbed the remote to the TV in the room and turned it on, making sure the volume was low to not disturb the Powers and Kobik. "We're already putting this family at risk by just being here."

"In case you haven't noticed but James is the closest thing we have to an ally right now," Elena argued as she crawled up next to him on the bed. Mack put his arm around her, bringing her in close. It was nice to just be able to cuddle like this, despite the fact that they were having a serious discussion.

"I have noticed," Mack said, "But how long do you think it'll be before someone spots us and calls the military? Remember, we're still the ones who shot Glenn Talbot in the head. Last thing I want is this family's blood on our hands."

"That won't happen. And I know it's a risk staying here but it's better than just leaving this place without a solid plan."

Mack sighed, not sure how to defend himself. He then said, "Yeah. I miss the days when we had factions, you know? The days when S.H.I.E.L.D. was basically the world police, with units all over, ready to mobilize if needed. Now, it's just, what? You, me, Daisy, Coulson, May, Fitzsimmons, Piper and Robbie?" 

"Robbie is questionable and there's a lot more of us, for sure. I'm pretty sure there's more of us. But I get your point. I guess it doesn't really affect me since I'm used to working by myself or at least with limited supplies and people. So this kind of stuff, laying low and being on the run from the authorities, that's nothing new."

"Sounds like you enjoy being one of the most wanted women in the world."

"Ha, for the record, I don't. And you should be careful with your choice of words, being 'one of the most wanted women in the world' could have a different meaning under a different context."

After she said that, a thought occurred to Mack. They had spent so much time talking about where they would go after leaving town that they hadn't discussed the third member of their party.

Mack then said, "So...what do you think about Kobik?"

"I think she's an adorable, well-meaning, intelligent girl," Elena said, "And no, I'm not just saying all of this because Kobik can hear us. I really do mean it. Abigail Brand and the rest of those punks in S.W.O.R.D. want to paint an image of her as this evil monster trying to destroy them all but...just look at her. All she did back at the Peak was read her books. The only time she acted up was because she wanted a cookie. She's just...well, a kid."

"Yeah...she doesn't fit with us. It's tough enough for all of us already, having to deal with HYDRA, AIDA, and now some underground secret society. Can't imagine what it's like for her. And with her panic attacks, she definitely needs to stay away from all of this."

"Do you..." Elena stopped her train of thought there. Concerned, Mack sat up on the bed and turned to her.

"Do I what?" he said, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Let's say, we make it to the capital without being noticed. Or we find a way to contact S.W.O.R.D. or whatever. Tell me, do you want to get rid of Kobik?"

Mack was at a loss of words. He was about to say no but when he thought of what he just said, concerning just how dangerous their line of work was, he began to seriously consider the idea.  _Who knows, maybe she's better off with the Power family...or just any place that isn't with us._ But then again, that didn't change the fact that she was an incredibly powerful telepath who lost control from time to time. Mack was conflicted but he didn't want anyone else to be responsible for her. Not when she could level a whole city if she felt like it. 

"No," Mack finally said, "I mean, no offense to the kid but it's not a good idea to just let anyone watch over her. We know what she's capable of so it's best that she stays with us."

"That's very pragmatic of you."

"What answer are you looking for, Yo-Yo?" 

"Nothing really...I'm just wondering, you know, if you felt attached to the girl as well."

"We get along." 

"Not like that. There's a reason why I introduced her as our daughter. I could've used any other excuse, like nanny, watching her for a friend-"

“Elena, I’m not Kobik’s father.” Just like that, the memories of Hope came rushing back, catching Mack off-guard. He didn't feel like he deserved the title. While part of him did feel a certain connection to Kobik, he hated the term 'father' or even 'father figure'. It felt wrong.  _How can I be anyone's dad, let alone Kobik's dad, when I haven't proven that I can be one._ Deep down, he knew better. There was no actual competition in determining how great a father he could potentially be. But in his mind, he already lost the race. He had one shot at real fatherhood and the world took it from him. 

“And I’m not her mother," Elena said, taking Mack out of his thoughts, "But we’re the closest thing to parents that she has. She looks up to us. You can say that you’re not her father all you want but you can’t help but act that way around her.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Back on the Peak...when you were helping her with her breathing. You did that twice by now and both times, you didn't hesitate. Heck, the first time you helped her through her panic attack, you didn't even know her. She was just the little girl who talked to you through your thoughts."

"Well...I'm a helpful guy. She was in distress."

"Please don't brush this off, Mack. Look, I'm not saying Kobik is a replacement for Hope. She'll never replace Hope. But with Kobik, maybe this is your chance to heal."

Mack sighed deeply, taking in her words. 

"And honestly...I think you believe that this is your chance to heal as well. I've been keeping track. You stood up to S.W.O.R.D. and forced them to use Kobik's name. You defied Abigail Brand's command by going to see Kobik because you were concerned about her well-being. You brought up that children’s book when no one forced you to do that. And then you talked about Hope. That’s something you don’t just bring up in a regular conversation. Tell me...why did you talk about Hope to Kobik?”

"I...I just felt it was right. It was the right time to talk about it. You may be right about me forming a connection with her."

"See, there you go. You can hide behind all your mission talk and discussions of being as pragmatic as possible but you can't deny that you like the girl and you want to protect her."

"Well, I do want to protect her. But sometimes I feel-"

"-that you don't deserve the second chance?"

"Yeah...exactly."

"It's easy to get lost in that train of thought. I mean, you saw Fitz after he was pulled out of the Framework. He couldn't look any of us in the eye, knowing what he did. Best thing to do is to look forward. It's either that or let your demons destroy you-"

_KNOCK KNOCK_

Mack, on instinct, stood up from the bed and grabbed a sharpened pencil that was nearby. He approached the door, cautiously, while Elena prepared to rush forward at anyone behind it. Before he could open it, Mack and Elena heard, "I can't sleep," from the other side. Mack sighed in relief, recognizing Kobik's voice. Mack then opened the doors and returned to bed. 

Kobik yawned as she joined Mack and Elena on the bed. Surprised, both of them made room for the girl, not sure why Kobik wanted to sleep in the guest room instead of Katie and Julie's room.

"Evening, Mack and Elena," Kobik said. When Mack looked at what she was holding, he couldn't help but chuckle. In her left hand was a book (Mack: "'Love, Rosie' by Cecilia Ahern. I think that's a movie too"). In her right hand was a plushie designed after the Ghost Rider. Mack asked for it and Kobik happily lent it to him. _Robbie's gonna love this when he finds out._

"How'd you get this, sweet pea?" Mack asked. He ignored Elena's knowing stare due to his use of the term 'sweet pea'.

"Julie gave it to me," Kobik said, "She said it's a token of friendship."

"Robbie is going to be very angry if he sees that," Elena said, jokingly, "Boy's a hot head."

"I think he'll like it, actually," Mack retorted, "If there's anyone that's going to be mad, it's Daisy since she'll probably ask why there isn't a Quake plushie." 

Mack handed the plushie back to Kobik, who tucked it in close to her. 

Silence. Mack and Elena could only watch the TV since they were unsure what to say in this situation. Kobik was reading her book, not paying attention to the grown-ups. 

Then, just before Mack could ask, Kobik said, "I couldn't sleep."

"Why not?" Mack asked.

"I don't know. I just couldn't sleep in Julie's room. Do you mind if I stay here, with you and Elena?"

"I'm fine with that," Elena said, gently nudging Mack on his arm.

Taking the hint, Mack said, "Sure, that's fine. We won't force you to leave."

"Thank you, Mack, thank you Elena," Kobik said, "I...uh...I really appreciate the both of you for taking care of me."

"We'll always be here for you."

With that, Kobik snuggled in. Despite what she said, she eventually fell asleep. Noticing her drooping eyes, Mack then made sure the girl had enough of the blanket and soon, the three of them were fast asleep.

 _One happy little family,_ Mack thought. Although he didn't see it, Kobik smiled when she heard his thought.  

* * *

MACK

Location: Fairgrounds, downtown Connorsville

Time: Afternoon (four days later) 

 

Despite wanting to leave as soon as possible, Mack relented when Elena and James told him that leaving Connorsville without a solid plan was a stupid idea. So for the next four days, Mack, Elena, and Kobik stayed with the Power family, learning more about what's been happening around the world during their stay. Kobik even began practicing with her powers, getting better control of her telepathy over the four days. Now, she could choose to block out anyone's thoughts if she wanted to. It helped with sleeping better at night.

After spending four days cramped in the Power family house, James invited them to a town event in the local fairgrounds. Apparently, it was the anniversary of Connorsville's construction and to honor the day, a fair was held. Mack was hesitant to attend since he was worried that they would be spotted and recognized but he eventually decided to tag along when he learned that trucks were being sold. It was risky but then again, everything they did was risky. 

As soon as they arrived at the fair, all sorts of smells and sights hit the group, dazzling the six of them. It reminded Mack of all the fairs he visited when he was young, although the one coming to mind was the fair he attended with Bobbi and Hunter in 2005. Bobbi had gotten into a fight with the security staff and Hunter made it worst by throwing sauerkraut into one of the guard's face. That earned him a black eye, while eight other guards landed in the hospital for broken limbs and several bruises. At least one guard had received a broken nose so severe that his faced looked as if it had been caved in. 

Since then, Hunter developed a fear of fairs. 

While looking for trucks to buy for their eventual trip away from Connorsville, Kobik followed Alex and Julie Power, who were hanging out with their own friends. Mack and Elena watched her carefully, hoping nothing bad would happen to the girl. Or, if they were being honest with themselves, hoping that Kobik didn't do anything to any of the townspeople. For the most part, Kobik was getting along with her new friends. She was laughing and enjoying herself, getting comfortable with her new company. Though for Mack, maybe a little too comfortable. He wondered if it would be difficult to convince her to leave the town, once they had the truck and a solid plan on where to go. 

After signing the necessary contracts and putting in the necessary down payment (James: "You owe me, just remember that once you regroup with your S.H.I.E.L.D. friends"), Mack and Elena decided to rest for the rest of the night. Mack sat down on a nearby bench while Elena kept watch over Kobik. He smiled as he watched the two girls play carnival games. Without using her powers, Kobik managed to land a ring in the bottle ring toss while Elena managed to pop all of her balloons in the dart game. He wanted to enjoy himself but at the back of his mind, he couldn't bring himself to do so.  _I'm not a father, I'm just a wanted fugitive watching over a little girl with superpowers. Don't kid yourself here, Alphonso-"_

"Mack, I need help!" Kobik suddenly said, running towards him. Concerned, he stood up, ready to fight whoever it was that was bothering her. He quickly cooled down when he saw that Kobik was giggling when she ran to him.

"What you need, sweet pea?" Mack asked.

"Elena and I are playing this shooting game but we need help! Elena said you're a better shot than she is."

"Well...I mean, I am a trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent-"

"-then come help us! Please?"

 _Dammit, not the puppy dog face._ Mack was starting to suspect that Kobik knew just how people saw her and was beginning to use that to her advantage. And he had to admit that it was effective since he started walking with Kobik back to the gun game she needed help with. 

Elena laughed when she saw Kobik holding Mack's hand, guiding him to where she was. Digging into her pocket, she pulled out a few coins in order for them to play. Mack raised an eyebrow, concerned about where she got the money from. Elena just laughed him off, putting the coins in his hand.

"Should I even ask?" Mack said.

"Relax, Kobik imagined the money and made them appear," Elena said, as if it were a completely normal thing to do, "I didn't even know she could do that."

"It took a lot of practice!" Kobik said, proudly, "I'm getting better everyday."

"Well, as long as you're not stealing this money," Mack said, shaking his head as he placed a few coins down for a single round. He then grabbed the toy rifle for the game and aimed. It was a haunted house themed shooting range and all the targets were either classic horror monsters or old, worn-out furniture. There was a sensor on each target that players had to aim for and each time a sensor was hit, it would register on the counter, which kept track of each hit.

_BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!_

The sounds of recorded gunfire rang out as Mack hit each sensor. Elena and Kobik cheered behind him as the round finished. He had only missed twice.  _Not bad...I thought I'd be rusty._

The game agent, after seeing the score, pulled out a large lion plushie and handed it to Mack. She then said, "Well done, good sir, you almost beat the high score!"

Mack nodded his head at her and handed the plushie to Kobik. Surprisingly, she didn't look as excited as he thought she would.

"You don't like it?" he asked.

"It's cool, I guess," Kobik said. She then raised her Ghost Rider plushie and held the two together. "Do you think they have one for Miss Daisy? She's really cool."

"I don't think they sell plushies of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents here...not anymore at least. I doubt the mayor of the town would be happy to hear that plushies of wanted fugitives were being sold at the fair. Besides, lions are cool. Did you know my grandpa once wrestled a lion?"

Abraham Mackenzie was actually a zoologist who studied lions but Mack wasn't about to say that, especially not after he saw Kobik's eyes light up. Elena, on the other hand, put her hands on her hips and gave him a look that said 'yeah right, I don't believe you for a second'. 

"Did he really?" Kobik said, excited.

"Yup. I wish I had my photo album on me but when I was six, he showed me a picture of him resting on this large lion's belly. He told me that he took it down after wrestling with it for a bit. Of course, he didn't hurt the lion since you shouldn't hurt animals but still...it was pretty cool."

"Oh come on, turtle man," Elena said, "You know Kobik can tell you're lying, right? Kobik, what is he thinking?"

Much to their surprise, Kobik shrugged. After spending the past few weeks getting to know the girl, it was definitely strange that the girl suddenly didn't know what they were thinking.

Mack said, "Wait...can't you hear my thoughts?"

"I can," Kobik said, "But I practiced with my powers. So now...I can block off people's thoughts. It helps because sometimes, it's hard to sleep with so many people talking in my head at once." 

"Wow...that's amazing! So you don't want to hear my thoughts?"

"You said that it was rude for me to hear everyone's thoughts all the time. So I'm blocking people unless I really need to hear them. I don't want to be rude anymore so I'll let everyone have their privacy."

"That's very good and mature of you," Elena said, ruffling the girl's hair up as she did. Kobik matted down her hair, pleasantly surprised at Mack and Elena's reactions. 

Just then, Alex, Julie, and their friends arrive, several of them eating cotton candy and candied apples. Alex handed over one of his candied apples, which Kobik took cautiously. It didn't escape Mack's attention that Kobik's face went slightly red as she took a bite of the apple. 

"Hey, can we borrow Kobik for a sec?" Alex asked, "We're going to do the haunted house and we wanted to see if she could come with us."

Mack looked at Kobik, who looked back at him with big, doe eyes. She didn't have to say anything but he knew she wanted to play with her new friends. Mack then nodded and Kobik gave him a big hug.

"Thanks Mack, I won't go too far," she said.

"You call your dad by his name?" one of the kids said out of nowhere. 

Mack wanted to say he wasn't the girl's dad. That he was just some guy watching over her, hoping to find the girl's real parents soon. But instead, he said, "It's okay. Kobik, here, just isn't used to the word 'dad'. But I'm most definitely her dad. Don't worry too much about it, okay?"

The kids just nodded their heads and walked away with Kobik in tow. Mack could've sworn he saw the girl smile wide as she left his sight.

As Mack and Elena walked towards the food court, Elena said, "So now you want to be her dad."

"It's just for the cover, we need to blend in here," Mack said defensively.

"That's okay. But there's only one way this cover's going to work."

"And...what is that one way?"

"I get to be the mom."

Mack rolled his eyes as he placed his arm around Elena.

* * *

ELENA

Location: Food court section of the fairgrounds

 

"I told the kids they wouldn't like the haunted house."

Mack and Elena laughed as they drank their beers with James Power. Earlier, James told them that the kids were resting at the community garden after experiencing the horror of the haunted house. Surprisingly, Kobik was the only one in the group who was able to handle the horrors of the house. Elena wondered if this was because of her experiences with S.W.O.R.D.. Not everyone can say they've seen the Ghost Rider in person. 

"Kobik is a little trooper, though," James continued, "Apparently, Alex was keeping close to her the whole time. At one point, he even pushed her to the front of the group. Good thing she's got a lot of patience since if that was me, I would've punched anyone who tried to make me lead the group."

"Same," Elena said, chuckling, "I remember when I was eighteen, me and my cousin Camila visited this haunted house and when we reached this part of the maze with a guy in a gas mask and a chainsaw, Camila tried pushing me to the front. I just turned around and _wham!"_ Elena feigned the move for a slap to the face. Mack and James laughed at the story.

"How about you, Mack?" Elena continued, "Any fun haunted house stories?"

"Not too many," Mack said, "Me and my brother, Ruben, once visited this haunted house based on Japanese horror movies. You know, like Ju-On, Ringu, Pulse, all that good stuff. We got to the first scare, which was the little boy from the Grudge, you know, the one who makes the cat sounds? As soon as he looked at us, we bailed. I think I ran right into the other people coming into the house. It wasn't a good night but it was definitely funny for everyone else."

Elena and James laughed at his story as well. 

As they enjoyed their beers, Elena noticed a group of teenagers starting to grow unruly on the other side of the food court. It wasn't until the sound of a glass breaking did Mack and James stop drinking in order to pay attention to the situation. From what Elena could see, a blonde man who seemed to be the leader of the teenagers was yelling at a girl with long, brown hair. She was looking down at the floor, crying. Elena was about to stand up to intervene when James motioned for her to not react.

"Are we just going to let this happen?" Elena whispered.

"Let's just wait and see," James said, "Sorry but...if this is just a domestic dispute, then go ahead. But if this is a...different situation, then we shouldn't get involved."

"Different situation? What the hell is a different situation-"

Elena was cut off by another glass breaking. She looked up and saw that the girl was being escorted out of the fair by two security guards. As she walked away, her friends threw french fries at her back while other fair patrons just looked on. 

"-filthy Inhuman," the blonde douchebag shouted, "Can't believe I wanted to sleep with you. What, you trying to infect me?! Get out of here!"

Elena flinched in anger as the other teenagers joined in on the boy's ranting. "Freak!" "Scum of the Earth!" "Hope you catch cancer and die, freako!" "This is a humans-only fair, we don't want your dirty ass spoiling all our fun!" "Go back to the toxic dump you came from, you stupid ass Inhuman!" "Humans only, USA! Humans only, USA!" 

And on, and on, and on. James sighed deeply as he finished his beer. Elena, her face turning red from anger, slammed her fists on the table and looked James directly in the eye.

"Why did you stop me!?" Elena asked, forcefully. James and Mack immediately shushed her, hoping to not draw attention. Luckily, everyone seemed focused on the Inhuman girl being led away from the fair.

"I'm sorry, okay," James said, "Remember when I said that we don't see that many Inhumans around these parts? Well...there you go. You're living in one of the most Inhuman-intolerant towns in the whole country."

Mack and Elena looked at each other, horror on their faces after hearing that revelation. For such a quiet town, the place suddenly felt like a POW camp to Elena, now knowing that the people here hated her just for her biology. 

"So...why are you here then?" Mack asked.  _You read my mind,_ Elena thought as she nervously drank her beer.

"I've been wanting to move for a while now," James confessed, "That's actually the main reason why I went to Los Angeles. It wasn't just for vacation, I was scoping out homes for my family to move into. I hate it here and the only reason I can't just leave is because I work for the laboratory a few miles from here."

"You should've told us then!" Elena said.

"I'm sorry, okay! I didn't want to distress either of you so I...just didn't say anything."

"You could've gotten either Elena or Kobik in trouble," Mack said, "Not trying to criticize you but what if either of them used their powers in front of a random person here? What happened to that Inhuman girl could've happened to either of them!"

"I know, I know...once again, I'm sorry. But now you know. You two are lucky that you found me because I'm probably the only person in this town who tolerates the Inhuman community."

Curious, Elena asked, "Why are the people this way? Discrimination is one thing but no one jumped in to help the poor girl! Everyone just watched or participated. So what gives?" James cringed, which made Elena cringe, realizing that this wasn't going to be a pleasant story.

"It happened a few years back," James said, "I think it was in 2016. People here weren't always this way. The town didn't really have an opinion on Inhumans back then since most of the Inhuman incidents happened in major cities. But I remember that a small Watchdog unit came to the town. I guess they were trying to lay low."

"Watchdogs were here?" Elena interrupted. Memories of the Superior and his goons causing trouble for S.H.I.E.L.D. came back to her. 

"They're not here anymore...which is actually the reason why the town started hating Inhumans. I was at home at the time when there was this loud explosion downtown. I drove over to inspect it and I found that the motel had been bombed. Only the Watchdogs that were visiting were killed in the attack, no one else was hurt. There were eight of them in the group, all dead in one blast. Since then, the people here started hating Inhumans because the mayor and the governor called it a 'terrorist attack'...which it was but still."

"Jesus...did anyone find out who was responsible for the attack?" 

"It's unconfirmed but...everyone assumes it was the Quake. I can't prove it but judging from the rubble of the motel, the explosion didn't come from within the building. Someone hit it from the outside."

Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing. Daisy hated the Watchdogs but she wasn't someone who would stoop to these tactics. 

"Daisy just shoots vibrations, she can't cause explosions!" Elena said, doing her best to poke holes in James' story.

"That's what I was thinking too...until I found out that the explosion was from the generator blowing up. I know this is reaching but I'm starting to think, if Quake was really responsible for the attack, she hit the generators which caused the explosion. And honestly, she's not in a good position to defend herself, not after her so-called 'assassination' on Glenn Talbot, how she turned into a vigilante with a vendetta against the Watchdogs, and how she formed the Secret Warriors."

"But you can't just...that's not...Daisy wouldn't do this-"

"-Elena," Mack said, "I think James is right." Elena turned to Mack, almost disgusted by his words.  _How could you say that about our colleague!?_

"Me and Coulson were on Daisy's trail after the Hive," Mack continued, "She took down a lot of Watchdog outposts on her own. I'm not saying she's responsible for the incident here but...I wouldn't put it past her. Right now, the only person who can confirm this is Daisy."

"I refuse to believe that our friend would put innocent lives in danger just for her vendetta. She's better than that!"

"Well, no one else was hurt," James said, "Who knows, maybe she planned the attack so that only the Watchdogs were affected-"

"-this is still an attack on a civilian location! I can't honestly believe that Daisy would be willing to take this risk. What if a random person just walked by the generator? What if the explosion was bigger than she expected? What if the cleaning maids were killed-"

"-look, regardless," Mack interrupted, "It doesn't matter if Daisy was responsible or not. What matters is that the people here think she's responsible and now want to see Inhumans hang because of that. From now on, we have to be extra careful. Everyone here can be a threat if they know about you and Kobik."

"Exactly," James added, "Look, Elena, I'm sorry to talk about your friend this way but...this is what's happening. Hopefully, you can see her soon to clear the air."

Elena sighed. That was definitely going to be the first thing she would ask her once they meet again. Although Elena was worried about what she would do if Daisy said she really was responsible for the attack. 

* * *

ELENA

Location: Neighborhood park, just one block down from the Power family home  

Time: Early morning (between 5AM and 6AM)  

 

Although she was being reckless, Elena wanted to go outside to explore the neighborhood. The sun was still rising, covering the entire park in a nice shade of blue. Elena took in a deep breath, taking in the cold air, and after making sure no one was around, used her super speed to pick a flower from a garden patch that she didn't feel like walking towards.

Elena took another deep breath after using her powers for that split second. It had been months since she used her powers regularly. Although she did use her speed against Jemma's assassin a few days ago, she still felt out of shape when it came to her physique. Spending nearly eight months in a cell with almost nothing to do had that unintended consequence.

 _Well, since everyone else is sleeping at the moment, why not?_ Elena smiled as she took a few running laps around the park. She felt more comfortable with her powers each time she finished a lap. All she needed was some practice to get back into the groove.

 _Hmm...I wonder if Daisy has the same problem?_ Elena stifled a laugh when the image of Daisy firing a weak quake wave came to mind. 

Then, just as soon as she thought of Daisy's weak quake waves, she thought back to last night's conversation. Could Daisy really be the vigilante who killed eight Watchdogs by blowing up a generator in a motel? Is Daisy the kind of person to risk innocent lives in order to take out her targets? It bothered Elena that she may not know Daisy as well as she thought she did.

When she finished her laps, it was only then when she realized she wasn't alone in the park. At first, she heard a gasp. Chalking it up as just her imagination, Elena didn't bother investigating until she heard the same gasp again. Looking towards the jungle gym, where the sound came from, she saw a small patch of blonde hair sticking out from the main slide. Elena ran over and grabbed the girl, making sure to hold her head steady so that she doesn't suffer whiplash.

It wasn't the same blonde boy from last night but Elena could definitely see the resemblance. Maybe she was related.

"Whoa, what just happened-"

"-you better explain yourself, girl," Elena said. The girl began to stutter, afraid of what to say next.

"What are you doing out here?" Elena continued, "Were you spying on me?"

"No, no!" the girl pleaded, "I was just spending the night out here because dad came home drunk and mom was out of town-"

"-you didn't go to your friend's place? You stayed out here?"

"It's not the first time! I like camping so sometimes I'd stay out here because this area is where all the fireflies come to-"

"-okay, okay, I don't wanna hear. How much did you see?"

"Um...enough?"

 _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._ Elena clasped the back of her neck, frustrated at the situation. She was hoping that the little girl was the only one who saw her using her powers. Just to check, Elena asked, "So that's all you did? Just watched?"

The girl's guilty expression told everything Elena needed to hear. Not wanting to take any chances, Elena briefly went into super speed mode in order to grab the girl's iPhone from her pocket. The girl yelled for Elena to give her phone back but with just one angry glare, the blonde girl backed down and let Elena search through her phone.

It was just as Elena feared. Just opening the Twitter app showed that the little girl had taken photos and tweeted out that there was an Inhuman in Connorsville. Frustrated, Elena handed the phone back to the girl.

"You screwed me over, kid," Elena said.

"Well...you shouldn't have come here," the girl shouted. Although still scared, the girl was starting to get some confidence in her tone. Elena just looked at the girl, surprised at her sudden energy. 

"It's bad enough that our country has to deal with you Inhumans," the girl continued, "All you Inhumans do is destroy our communities! Why don't you just leave! Go back to your stupid sanctuary cities or something!"

"Kid, I don't think you know what 'sanctuary city' means."

"Whatever! Just go away, you freak! Daddy's not going to like it when he finds out about you. My daddy's the reason why all the nasty Inhumans left by now!"

Feeling petty, Elena used her powers again to grab the girl's phone. She then dropped it to the ground and crushed it before walking away. The girl yelled in frustration, shouting out several profanities that would've gotten her the 'belt' if she had been raised in Elena's home. 

 

Location: Power family home

 

Elena entered the home, locking the door as she did. It wasn't safe anymore to stay in the town. Although she wanted to stay, it was her own fault for getting caught. She only hoped that Kobik wouldn't-

"Morning, Elena."

Elena sighed and turned towards the stairs, where she saw Kobik and Mack sitting down by each other. Mack was visibly upset. 

"Morning, Kobik," Elena said, nervously, "Morning, Mack-"

"-you were caught by someone," Mack said, straight to the point, "Kobik heard the whole thing. Your face is all over Twitter apparently."

"Then we need to leave, now. I'll wake up James, see if we can get the truck we bought in order to skip town."

"You know, it was your idea to stay."

"And I appreciate it if you don't rub in my face that I'm responsible for ruining all of this. Okay? Let's just get ready to go, and then we can fight the rest of the day."

Mack nodded his head at that and looked at Kobik, who quickly read his thoughts. With a saddened expression, Kobik walked back upstairs to pack her things. Elena cursed herself for causing this. Although she had many reasons why she wanted to stay in Connorsville, seeing Kobik happy was definitely one of the bigger reasons. She felt that she had betrayed Kobik with her carelessness.

Trying to stay positive, Elena asked, "Is James awake?"

"Not yet. It's best that we don't tell him that we're leaving."

"But he's been so kind-"

"-Elena...we're doing this to keep him and his children safe. You know that as well as I do."

Elena sighed at that. Why did everything go so wrong so quickly?

* * *

END-TAG (DAISY)

Location: Mess hall

Time: A few minutes before Robbie showed up

 

"Skye, I'm starting to worry about you."

"Relax Micro, I got this under control."

"But you remember the last time the Rising Tide went after the Enlightened Society, right? They will bury us if they find out-"

"-that is why I'm not dragging all of Rising Tide into this. It's just me on this, okay?"

"Alright Skye, it's your funeral."

"Very funny Micro. Also, for the last time, call me Daisy."

Micro rolled his eyes as he sent over several links to Daisy. Sorting through them, she found one of the items she was looking for. It was a picture of a Latino man in his forties, wearing what looked like custom-built clerical clothing. But instead of a Catholic or Christian symbol on the clothes, it was the Darkhold.

"Who do we got, Micro?" Daisy asked.

"That is Father Jorge Valdez. He's the leader of this very small cult known as the 'Church of Chthon'. It's based in Michoacan, Mexico and is considered by many to be a devil-worshiping cult, such as the Church of Satan and so on. Although instead of the devil, they worship Chthon."

"Chthon?"

"Yeah, I wasn't able to find much on the guy but I did some special digging that you better appreciate. Seriously, you need to take a long moment to appreciate how much exploring I had to do. The Deep Web is a scary, dark place. Apparently, Chthon is this evil entity thing that wrote this book of the dead that really reminds me of the black book from 'The Mummy'. It's called the-"

"-the Darkhold."

"You've heard of it?"

"I've seen it. Now, Micro, how were you able to track him down?"

"Well...it wasn't easy but I used that one mantra you mentioned, 'Blood for the girl, new life not from God. Tonight we proved even the meek is capable of creating life'. Turns out that it's popularity is rising. A lot of people are starting to say it, especially in Mexico since that's where Father Valdez is stationed in."

"What does it mean?"

"No one knows. But, just for you Skye, I went even further than the Deep Web and did something really wicked. I spent all of yesterday hacking into the Church of Chthon's databases by myself."

"Impressive. Anything good?"

"Well, just one. I found a video log that Father Valdez made. Wanna see it?"

"Send it over."

"Alright. It's kinda creepy though, just a heads up."

A few seconds later and Daisy saw the video log appear in her mail. A little cautious, she clicked on the video, not sure what to expect. Valdez's face popped up and the video started playing:

_"I finally understand why Gwendolynn Fitz is so obsessed with these crystal shards. For the past few years, that's the one thing she would talk about. Cosmic Cube this, missing shard that. But I finally understand its power. Today...even though we had a run-in with that damn Ghost Rider...we did something that I didn't think was possible. We created...new life! For years, we've been chanting 'Blood for the girl, new life not from God. Tonight we proved even the meek is capable of creating life'. It was always something that existed in my imagination. But now...it's a reality. The shard gave me a vision, it showed me exactly what I needed to see. It was a... **girl with brown hair and skin so clear that it's like she's never had a blemish her entire life.** When the cube gave me that vision...I knew then and there that the shard wasn't just some fancy rock...it was a gift. A gift straight from Chthon himself. I promise...I will find this girl and I will get the shards back. I'm sorry I doubted your power, Chthon. Never again."_

The video ended. So many questions were racing in Daisy's head. Yet despite everything she saw, one thing stood out to her; Gwendolynn 'Fitz'. Either this was a huge coincidence...or maybe Fitz and Simmons could be hiding some dark secrets. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this one. Had a really busy weekend so the fic had to be put on hold. Fear not, I'm working on the next chapter right now and I'll try to have it up quicker than I usually do. 
> 
> This is probably the closest to fluff we'll get in this story. I know it might be a bit jarring to dedicate a whole chapter to Mack and Elena raising Kobik but it's all for the story. 
> 
> Now, some behind the scenes information, I was originally not going to have non-show character POVs in this story. The main reason is because I don't want the non-show characters to take over but when I was writing the chapter, I felt that I needed to at least show Kobik's POV since she has a unique way of looking at the world. That being said, I'm not really complaining because Kobik is my favorite non-show character to write, mainly because I'm imagining Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven from Stranger Things) playing the character. 
> 
> As for introducing the Power Pack, I have several reasons why. One, to introduce a family figure that Mack, Elena, and Kobik could connect with. Mack and Elena needed someone they could discuss parenthood with and Kobik needed friends her age to bond with. Two, I wanted to emulate what Marvel does by introducing new characters to hype up their spin-off series. Season 2 and 3 had Mockingbird, season 4 had Ghost Rider, and now season 5 has the Power Pack. 
> 
> That said, don't expect them to make regular appearances. 
> 
> So next week, we get some more epic plot twists. S.H.I.E.L.D.-S.W.O.R.D. begins to make their moves against the Enlightened Society and Roxxon, plus the Jemma-AIDA feud heats up (hopefully, this chapter made it obvious what comic book story-line I'm basing the AIDA subplot on). Stay tuned!
> 
> Anyways, if you want, please leave a kudos and a comment!


	9. The Woman on Fire and the Great Stark Expo Robbery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set only a few hours after Kobik's escape from S.W.O.R.D., Leo Fitz and his childhood best friend, S.W.O.R.D.'s chief of security Roxanne Minh Tran, head down to Earth to attend Stark Expo 2018. Their mission? Steal Tina Minoru's Staff of One and to figure out the connection between Roxanne's mother and the Roxxon Corporation. What starts out as a straightforward undercover operation takes a sharp turn when they discover one of Roxxon's biggest secrets...
> 
> While that's going on, AIDA (using Jemma Simmons' body) enacts her plan to ruin Jemma's reputation by going to Earth and joining the Enlightened Society (an alternate version of Advanced Idea Mechanics). However, AIDA faces problems when Jemma fights back for control over her own body. Their struggle leads to a revelation that will put both women on a warpath against Robbie Reyes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: This, and the next chapter (possibly the chapter after that), happen simultaneously with Mack, Elena, and Kobik's side adventure with the Power Pack. Remember, the three of them are with the Power Pack for a couple of days. These next two-three chapters will show what the others have been doing.

HUNTER

Location: Jail cell, Florence, Italy

Time: A few days after the battle in Dubai, where Gabe used the Cosmic Cube shard to transport the group to Italy

 

"You don't think I'm weird for saying that?"

Gabe Reyes shifted a little in his seat as Lance Hunter pondered his question. It was definitely a difficult topic. Hunter didn't have any brothers to discuss this issue with so he wasn't sure how to approach Gabe's question.

Saying the first thing that came to mind, Hunter said, "Mate, I completely get it. If I was your age, I'd totally try to get with Carmilla Black."

Hunter liked this kid. While Bobbi was fun to talk to, it was nice to have another guy friend around in order to discuss the real topics. Topics such as 'which guns are best suited for a firefight', 'who they found attractive', and 'what soccer team reigned supreme'.

When it came to girls, it was clear that Gabe was not over his short, but memorable, encounter with Carmilla "The Scorpion" Black. Usually, Hunter didn't mind talking about women. True, some of the things he would say from time to time would disappoint Bobbi and he did his best to filter himself but for the most part, he had no filter when it came to girls. But Carmilla was a bit...young for him. He didn't really know how to talk about romance with 'youngsters' without sounding like an overprotective brother.

Then again...this was Carmilla Black they were talking about. He was pretty sure that Bobbi wouldn't forgive him if he gave Gabe dating tips for this particular girl.

"You would?" Gabe asked. Hunter cringed at what he had just said, knowing what he knew about the Scorpion.

"I mean, I admit, she's an attractive girl," Hunter said, trying to salvage this conversation, "I definitely wouldn't try to get with her now but someone as young as you, yeah, I can see that. But! Remember, this girl is bad news. Really, really, really bad news. Trust me, I've dated crazy, psychotic women before. I have experience with this."

"Really? Tell me about them."

"Well...there was Georgina. Beautiful redhead from Ireland, worked for a NGO in Paraguay. Complete psycho though. I knew it the moment she suggested that we role-play a serial killer-victim scenario. I was the victim in that scenario, by the way. She thought it'd be 'kinky'."

"Oh god-"

"-and then there's Bob. I know Bobbi doesn't look like it but she can be a nightmarish she-beast when she wants to."

"Really? But she seems so nice."

"She is. That's why I married her. And why I tried to marry her again."

Gabe raised his eyebrows, confused at Hunter's seemingly contradictory statements. 

"You're too young to understand," Hunter said, "Love is a complicated beast, that's for sure-"

_PEW PEW PEW_

Hunter stopped talking when the guards keeping watch of their cell fell down unexpectedly. As Hunter stood up to investigate, he saw bullet holes in their heads.  _Silenced shots...but who the hell is shooting-_

The vents to the room opened and a woman jumped down from them, landing on her feet. Hunter quickly noticed the girl's brunette pixie haircut and immediately recognized her. Just like that, he went from being curious about the situation to completely dreading it. Carmilla Black walked towards the cell, using her scorpion hand on the cell door. There was a loud sizzle as the lock was burnt away from the liquid that she was releasing from her hand.

"That's a new trick I learned recently," Carmilla said, "How are you doing, boys?"

"Scared," Hunter answered truthfully, "Really wishing that I had my gun on me."

"Look, I know I should be scared," Gabe said, "But honestly...I'm way too attracted to you to be scared. Are you sure we can't just talk?"

The door opened and Carmilla ripped it off with a good yank. She chuckled before cracking her neck, as if she was getting ready for a fight.

"Unfortunately, my boss doesn't send me on these missions to talk," she said with a sneer, "Besides, Mother wouldn't like it if she knew I was flirting with boys while on duty. But thank you anyways. If it's any consolation, I find you attractive as well."

Carmilla then took out an ICER and fired at both Hunter and Gabe. Before passing out, Hunter could only imagine what horrors awaited them. It was one thing to be held captive by the authorities. It was another thing to be held captive by a secret society full of insane people who want to rule the world with magical rocks. 

* * *

FITZ

**Location: Bar area, Stark Expo 2018, New York City**

**Time: 9:00 PM Eastern Time Zone, just a few hours after Kobik escaped S.W.O.R.D.**

 

It was an odd feeling to be back on Earth after so many months on the Peak. True, it was for a mission but it still felt a lot like homecoming. Fitz didn't even count yesterday's little detour to Scotland as his official return to Earth. That was just a taste. The mission to Stark Expo was the real deal since, according to Roxanne, they may be on Earth for a while. The heist itself would only take a few minutes. However, tracking down Lydia Sutherland and figuring out her connection to Roxxon might need a couple of days. Fitz didn't object to the mission, however. His only regret was that Jemma couldn't join them. 

Still, even without Jemma, it didn't feel right that they were going through with the Stark Expo robbery right after the incident with Mack, Elena, and the little girl with telepathic powers. When Fitz ran into Roxanne after their disappearance, she was visibly upset about the whole situation. When he asked if she needed a break or at least a couple days to process the situation, she refused and said that the Stark Expo was in a few hours and they needed to prepare. Fitz had to admire her for her professionalism. Part of him wished that he had that level of calm and tolerance for chaos.  

Blending in at the Stark Expo was an odd experience. When he voiced his concerns about being noticed by one of the many patrons, Roxanne assured him that he would be fine. She then argued that if Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes could escape detection by just wearing baseball caps, then he would have no problem pretending to be someone else for one night. Sure enough, he was practically invisible to the people at Stark Expo. For some reason, while he was happy to not be spotted, he was also disappointed that no one at least recognized him as 'Leo Fitz, the guy who earned his PhD at 17'.

He concluded that fame was a tricky devil. 

Then again, he knew that if someone did recognize him, he couldn't refer to himself as Fitz. No, here he was _Paul Roberts._ The name sounded familiar to him. It only clicked now, when Roxanne placed a shrimp cocktail glass in front of him, that it was the name of the character he played in a primary school play when he was only eight. Only in this instance, Paul was the son of a well-off socialite from San Diego, California instead of a poor farmer from Northern Ireland. Fitz even recognized Roxanne's alias, "Jay Zhang", as the imaginary friend she used to talk about when they were young.

_Roxy, you're corny as hell._

As Fitz looked around for their target, Roxanne's mother Lydia Sutherland, Roxanne ate one of the shrimps on the cocktail glass. She then pushed it towards Fitz and offered him one. 

"I thought we're supposed to be working," Fitz said, mildly amused. Roxanne rolled her eyes as she ordered a shot of tequila from the bartender. 

"We are, dum dum," Roxy said, "Doesn't mean I can't relax every now and then. Come on, we're at the Stark Expo. They have good food here, Stark hired some dancers to sway around in Iron Man gear, and [we got some fashion show techno music playing in the background.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gayGF5TdJbY) Just because I work for S.W.O.R.D. doesn't mean I have to be grim and frowning all the time."

"You know, I've always wanted to visit the Expo. Me and Jemma wanted to go in our...third year? I don't really remember but it was definitely a few years back. She said she wanted to meet Pepper Potts while I wanted to meet Tony Stark."

"Why didn't you go?"

"Um...school. Post-grad work too. And when Stark shut down his weapons program, sadly, I lost interest in meeting him. Hindsight is a bit of tricky devil since now, I would give an arm and a leg to meet the man now that he's...well, Iron Man." 

"Well, if you want, I can pull a few strings with Abigail Brand and arrange for you and Jemma to meet Mr. and Mrs. Iron."

Fitz snickered at that before waving his hand for 'no'. While he would love to meet the brains behind Stark Industries, Fitz didn't want to bother them for no reason. He then ate one of the shrimps, taking Roxanne's advice to relax. He still refused the offer to drink but he couldn't resist taking a bite of the delicious shrimp.

As they looked around the crowded lot, Fitz was about to ask a question about their plan for what to do when they confronted Lydia when all of a sudden, Roxanne asked, "Do you ever wonder how different life would be if I had never moved?"

 _Well...that was random._ Fitz pondered the question. It was an interesting one, that much he'd admit. They were so close when they were young that it was hard to imagine how different his life would've been if she stuck with him in his later years. Would he have still joined S.H.I.E.L.D.? Join the Academy in the first place? Or even befriend and fall in love with Jemma? He hated to admit it but it was tough to say.

Then again, he had already lived through a "what if" version of his life and based on that experience, he wasn't too excited at the thought of going through another hypothetical scenario, even if the scenario was not as bad. 

But still, it was a nice thought to consider, which is why he answered with, "Yeah, I've thought about it. Just a little curious, do you think we would've ended up together? I mean, judging from how we left each other-"

"Oh god no," Roxanne said, laughing. Fitz rolled his eyes in response.

"So that kiss you gave me when we were eleven, that was just a best friend kiss?" Fitz said, jokingly. 

"Oh my god, like you said, I was eleven. You don't have the same crushes now as you did when you were that age. And don't judge me for having a crush on you. You were cute and treated me well, especially compared to the other boys."

"Aw, thanks."

"But still, it's a no. Mainly because I think it'd be weird to be in a relationship with a guy who you referred to as your brother on several occasions."

"Yeah, that's creepy."

"But...on that note. Relationship stuff aside, I would've loved it if we stuck together as a team. Things were never really the same when I left Scotland."

"Agreed." Fitz shuddered as he thought back to his teen years. Just the thought of his twelve-to-fifteen year old self brought back bad memories of him trying to move on from Roxanne moving away. The worst memory was him writing a song about his sadness, which thankfully was never uploaded to the Internet. He could only imagine the laughter that would ensue if either Roxanne or Daisy Johnson caught hold of the tape.  

"You mind if I confess something a bit personal?"

"Roxy...you know who you're talking to, right? You can tell me anything."

"Well, I know this sounds a bit petty but...I'm a bit jealous that you spent half of your life with another woman. And like I said, I don't mean that in an 'I'm angry that you fell for someone else' type of thing, I mean...we were so close that I feel like I should've been there for those big moments in your life. Like when you graduated, when you joined S.H.I.E.L.D., when you started dating Simmons...all those big events. And vice versa too. I wish you were there when I passed my initiation tests at the Sanctum Sanctorum, or when I accomplished my first heist."

"That would've been great. If anything, I would've really loved your help when I was trying to open the Monolith. Could've saved four months of agony if you were around with your portal ring thing."

"Or when you were at the bottom of the ocean. I could've saved you from brain damage."

"Lots of 'could've's' and 'would've's'. Honestly, I don't mind having a few regrets now. Trust me, I lived a whole life where my biggest regret was removed."

 _Well, there's the Framework again, rearing its ugly head back into my_ life. Fitz stress-ate another piece of shrimp while Roxanne, noticing how awkward the bar suddenly got, tried to change the subject. 

"You think you and Simmons will be fine?" Roxanne asked, her mood a bit cheerier than before, "I mean...I don't wanna pry but if you ever need help getting back with her, there's some places I have in mind that you can take her to. There's a lovely restaurant in Tokyo I once visited that I would suggest since they had the best imagawayaki that I've ever had."

Fitz smiled at that. She was clearly just trying to cheer him up in order to avoid talking about the Framework but he appreciated the effort anyways. 

"Thanks, Roxy...maybe one day. But honestly...it's not the fact that we're not together that's the problem. It's just...a lot of things happened to me in the Framework and...I just...I don't think I-"

"-it's okay. I get it. Take as much time as you need."

"That's part of the problem, though. I don't know how much time I need."

"Well, nobody does. The best thing you can do is focus on yourself and heal. Do things that make you happy. Learn to accept your actions by first accepting that even though the guilt may never go away, you're allowed to be happy and no one can take that away from you. In fact, you can consider that the third, unofficial reason why I wanted your help on this little side mission."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I needed your help regardless because of mom and that weird forest back home that we need to investigate. But in the back of my mind, I thought this was the kind of break you needed. I mean, look at where you are right now. Lively party, hot models in Stark gear, alcohol everywhere, and your wing-woman just happens to be your sexy childhood best friend. Who is a literal Asian Hermione Granger if you want to think of me like that." 

Fitz laughed at that. She wasn't entirely wrong; part of him was having fun. Most of it came from the fact that this was one of the few missions that he'd been on that felt stress-free. The actual heist was no problem since Roxanne could do that on her own. In fact, the only part of the mission that was stressing him was meeting Auntie Lydia again after so many years apart. He couldn't imagine just how awkward the reunion would be. 

A few minutes go by and suddenly, Roxanne nudges Fitz on his elbow. He turns to her and she motions with her eyes to look over her shoulders. Fitz does and he sees the target in question. Lydia Sutherland was walking through the crowd, surrounded by several patrons. She looked good for her age. A bit too good, which led to Fitz wondering if she had any surgery done. 

"Ready to roll, Leo?" Roxy asked as she downed a shot of tequila.

"Are YOU ready to roll?" Fitz asked, pointing at her shot glass. She waved him off, annoyed.

"Don't worry about me, I always take a shot in order to calm my nerves. And since this is mum...well, just don't blame me, okay?"

Despite what she said, Fitz had plenty to worry about. When she placed her shot glass down, he immediately noticed how her hand was shaking, which was something he would do if he was stressed out. Her face was sweaty and judging from her facial expressions alone, she didn't seem to convince herself that there was nothing to worry about. 

Fitz didn't blame her at all for this. She hadn't seen her mother in years and, just to add to that awkward mess, they didn't leave on good terms. Now they were supposed to meet for the first time in years at Stark Expo, while Roxanne was on a mission to investigate her mother's affiliation with Roxxon? Although they rehearsed the conversation several times, putting the plan into motion was looking bad at the moment. 

Fitz sighed and, on the spot, decided on a different approach. It was risky but he decided it'd be better than Roxanne breaking down from stress. "Okay, new plan," he said, "You hang back and talk to the Roxxon executives around Auntie Lydia. See what they know about her. I'll go talk to your mom. I'll do the basic introductions but I'll try to keep her focus on what she's doing here with Roxxon."

Roxanne raised her eyebrows, surprised at his statement. She had been planning on doing the interrogation together but she almost looked relieved when Fitz offered to talk to Lydia by himself.

"You sure you can handle this?" Roxanne asked.

"Yeah...I mean, I think this will go better anyways if I do this alone. I'm worried that Auntie Lydia might just chastise you all night if she sees you again."

"Are you sure you don't need me-"

"-Roxy...I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Just trust me." 

_An agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. whose specialty was making gadgets. Oh yeah, I'm totally qualified to handle interrogations-disguised-as-conversations._

Luckily (or unluckily), Roxanne shook her head, agreeing with the plan. She sighed before taking another look at her mom. "Alright," she said, "I guess our mother-daughter reunion will have to wait. Best of luck, Leo."

"Thanks." 

"And you remember our plan in case someone else tries to talk to you?"

"Yeah. I'm Paul Roberts from San Diego and you're Jay Zhang, my girlfriend of six years. And no, I'm not using the script you gave for me to memorize."

"Oh come on, it'll be funny!"

"How is me saying, 'my girlfriend has the best feet in the world' funny?"

"It's funny to me."

Fitz rolled his eyes and at that note, both of them split off. Roxanne, switching to her American accent, began talking to some Roxxon executives as 'Jay Zhang'. Meanwhile, Fitz approached Lydia and got her attention by clearing his throat. Lydia turned around, a puzzled look on her face when she saw him.

"Um, do I know you?" Lydia asked, her Scottish accent still strong as ever.

"Yes, actually, I was hoping to talk to you."

"Well, I'm flattered, but I don't know you. Now, if you can please excuse me-"

"-hold on, I just need a minute of your-"

Suddenly, Lydia stopped moving and began examining Fitz carefully. Fitz, not sure what she was doing, stood still, hoping that she didn't catch that he was a S.W.O.R.D. agent.  

"-wait...that hair. Your accent...Leopold Fitz! Oh my god, it's you!"  

 _Well that was quick._ "Yes, Auntie Lydia, it's me. How'd you guess?"

"As soon as you started talking, my boy. I admit, I didn't recognize you immediately but it became obvious very quickly. Who else would you be since, going from the top of my head, I can't think of anyone else who has your accent and your mother's curls. My, oh my, it's been too long."

Lydia came in for a hug and Fitz returned her embrace. As they hugged, Fitz caught a glimpse of Roxanne chatting up a tall, blonde man in a two-piece suit. She was giggling at everything the man was saying, like a drunken loon. He had to give it to her; she was pretty convincing. Fitz broke the hug and, returning to the task at hand, stood up straighter. 

"So...any reason why you're attending the Stark Expo?" Fitz asked, doing his best to not sound suspicious. Lydia chuckled.

"Just visiting an old friend," she said, "When me and Roxanne moved to Hong Kong, I befriended this woman named Rumiko Fujikawa, who was the head of Stark Industries' branch in Japan. She would always invite me and Kal out to these types of gatherings. Roxanne hated them but I would always tell her that her friend Leo would love them so that she wouldn't throw a fit. You really made an impression on her."

"Roxy? Oh, how is she by the way?"  _Tipsy but still functional. And, oh yeah, she's right behind you._

"Oh dear," Lydia said, her face dropping as she said that, "I know you two were close so don't panic when I say this. She...ran from home."

"Wait, really? When?" Fitz hoped that the fake shock in his voice was convincing. 

"Oh, this happened years ago. Roxy was only sixteen. She had a lot of problems growing up. I always thought it was because she was going through a phase, problem was, I didn't know what phase she was going through. I couldn't reach her. One day, she's telling me she wants to go to college. The next day, she vanishes. Never came back home from school. I know this must be troubling to hear since you two were so close." 

"Yeah, yeah...troubling." Fitz nervously shuffled his feet, hoping that it wasn't obvious that he was lying about his feelings. Lydia seemed to believe him as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Roxanne and I...my biggest regret was that I could never understand her and that I didn't do enough to try to get her. I wanted her to go to college, make a life for herself as someone like a...like an engineer. Or a doctor. Someone along those lines. But she was never interested in science and technology and because of that, we drifted apart. But if I had the chance, I would've made a stronger effort to understand what she wanted."

"I'm sure she would appreciate your words."  _Hopefully..._

"Oh dear, I'm sorry. I've spoiled our evening. Look, why don't you go and enjoy the rest of the party. I would love to catch up with you but I have some matters to attend to. But if you want, I'll be staying at the Doubletree hotel. It's in Manhattan."

"I know where it is. Yeah, I'd love to." 

"Splendid. Anyways, I have to go. Lovely seeing you again, Leopold."

Lydia smiled and hugged Fitz once again. This time, as she came for a hug, Fitz dug into his pocket and, without her noticing, placed a tracking dot on her back. He played it off as a friendly pat on the back before breaking the hug. Lydia then walked away as Fitz watched. Immediately, Roxanne pushed away the blonde man she was talking to and walked up to Fitz.

"Nice job, Leo," she said, "Heard everything on the comms."

"Wait...you heard me?" Fitz asked, surprised, "How come I couldn't hear you talking?"

"I switched off that setting back at the bar when you suggested that you would talk to mother alone."

"How did you do that-"

"-without you noticing? Um...Leo, I'm a thief. I should know these things-"

"-but you use portals and magic to do your heists!"

"Leo, shame on you. What, you think that just because I use magic that I ONLY rely on magic to do my job? Even Doctor Strange has skills in other fields."

"Who is Doctor...you know what, never mind. Anyways, so you're already up to speed, right?"

"Yup. Rumiko Fujikawa, Stark Industries, Doubletree hotel. Somehow, that's made this situation even weirder."

"How?"

"Mum and dad have never been rich. Ever. You remember when Auntie Gwendolynn helped my family out, right? Well, I find it hard to believe that my mum is suddenly well-off enough that she could attend the Stark Expo and that she's staying at the frickin' Doubletree hotel. Also, how does she randomly befriend one of Stark Industries' leading representatives? What, did they meet at the McDonald's and bond over Earl Grey tea? I smell something foul here."

"Well, let's get this Staff of One and find your mum. Just to make sure she wasn't lying about the Doubletree, I placed a tracking dot on her back. We can follow it once we're done here. And the good news is, I personally designed the dot back on the Peak. No one will detect it and it's small enough so that no one can even see it."

Roxanne, visibly impressed, playfully punched Fitz on the arm. 

"Wow," she said, "S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy's best student, now I see why."

"Jemma would say otherwise but...come on," Fitz said with a smug smile on his face. 

"Okay, sorry to fan your ego. Let's go, the blonde bro is starting to give me weird looks."

"What did you say to him?"

"I said that my boyfriend has a foot fetish and he told me that he does too. I think I nearly threw up my tequila when he said that he wants to take me back to his room so he can suck on my toes."

Fitz chuckled and looked back at the blonde man, who was eyeing both of them in an odd way. Roxanne, her face red from embarrassment, pushed Fitz forward. Fitz waited until they were in the lobby to let out a laugh. 

 

**Location: Behind Stark Tower**

**Time: Twenty minutes later**

 

"Be back in one second."

"You need to change now?!"

"I can't do my job in high heels and a slinky, flower dress. What do you think I am, the Black Widow?"  

Fitz rolled his eyes and looked around, making sure the coast was clear. As he did, Roxanne quickly opened a portal leading back to the Peak and walked through, closing it behind her. Then, just a few seconds later, she came back with an entirely different outfit. She was in some sort of [dark green robes that looked like the clothes a monk would wear](http://screenrant2.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/SDCC-2016-Baron-Mordo-Costume-Close.jpg). She closed the portal but then quickly reopened a small one and threw her high heels inside. As if it were a fashion show, Roxanne did a little spin to show off the robes to Fitz. Fitz could only watch, confused. 

"What are you wearing?" Fitz asked.

"Standard Sanctum Sanctorum sorceress attire," Roxanne said, "Need to look the part, you know? What did you think I wore as the Black Nightingale?"

"Um...some sort of black, leather outfit?"

"Leopold James Fitz...that sounded a little suggestive there."

"Shut up."

"Just busting your chops, as the Americans would say. And no, I hate leather. Leather is more of Felicia's thing anyways."

"Who?"

"Friend from work...well, this job, not my S.W.O.R.D. job. Anyways, let's stay focused here."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Keep an eye on the tracker you placed on my mum. I'll be right back with the staff. Won't take me more than...ten minutes? Like I said, these heists aren't as simple as grabbing the item and running away. Knowing Stark, there's probably some sort of motion sensor that'll notice if the staff is moved or misplaced. I have to bypass that before I can grab it."

"You sure you don't need my help-"

"-Leo, I got this. Let me deal with the easiest part of the mission on my own, okay? You've done more than enough already."

"All I did was talk to your mom and put a tracking dot on her."

"Like I said, more than enough. Listen, back at the party...I really appreciate what you did. I know we rehearsed that encounter but to be honest, I don't think I can talk to my mom...or at the very least, I don't know how that conversation will actually go. It's a bit cowardly but I'd like to avoid that conversation as long as possible. And also, I'm terrible at making gadgets so don't think that you haven't contributed to the mission."

"Whatever you say, Roxy."

Roxanne saluted him before opening up another portal and walking through. Now alone with his thoughts, Fitz sat on the ground and took out his phone, which monitored Lydia's whereabouts. Only five minutes had passed before he found himself yawning from boredom.  _How long is this going to take?_ To pass the time, he took out his headphones and began listening to music, hoping that no one would walk in and surprise him.

Another ten minutes pass and another portal opens right by Fitz, surprising him. He took his headphones off as Roxanne walked through, panting heavily as she did. She closed the portal behind her and took a seat next to Fitz. As she did, she handed him the [Staff of One](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/70/c2/e2/70c2e22931c2a363a2b8a8d8d8bc2710--nico-minoru-asian-artwork.jpg) and Fitz handled it with care. 

"Sorry I took so long," Roxanne said, "Security was a bit tighter than what I'm used to."

"What happened?" Fitz asked. 

"Grabbed the staff, replaced it with a decoy, but a few guards spotted me. I had to take them down before they could sound the alarm and screw me over."

"Did you...did you kill them?"

"What? No, of course not. Though they may kill the janitor if they don't let them out of the supply closet in the morning. You know...I'm honestly shocked that there were that many guards patrolling the floor."

"Well, it's Stark," Fitz said, "With everything that's happened in the past few years, you can't blame him for that."

As Roxanne relaxed on the ground, Fitz examined the staff in front of him. It was bronze with an O shaped ring at the tip. He'd never seen anything like it. Although it felt like an ordinary wooden staff, he knew that the item had magical traits to it. He just didn't know how to activate them.  

"So...this is the Staff of One?" Fitz asked.

"Yup," Roxanne said, "Pretty cool, huh? Tina and her daughter, Nico, showed me how to use it during my final year of magic training."

"How does it work?"

"Well, there's a lot of technical magic mumbo jumbo that you don't need to know. Long story short, it's powered by blood. Once it comes into contact with blood, the user can cast a spell of their choosing by just muttering any word or phrase. But once the spell is done, they can't use it from then on. That's why this thing is called the 'Staff of One'. Every spell is a one-time thing."

"Isn't that a disadvantage?"

"Not really. There's no specific guidebook for phrases the staff can use. It's literally any phrase you can think of and unless if you have a limited vocabulary, you'll never run out of things to say. Also, the staff doesn't take language into account. If I say something in English and then use the same phrase but in Chinese, it'll still count. Amazing right? Problem is, you gotta be specific with your request, like you can't just say 'Abraham Lincoln' and expect Lincoln to show up. You might get some weird result. Anyways, this isn't for us to use. I have to find Tina Minoru so after we're done here, I'll be out for a few days. Brand already knows." 

"Of course she does."

"Well, enough about the staff. Tell me where mom's at."

Fitz looked at his phone and, much to his surprise, it displayed 'TRACE OUT OF BOUNDS'. Fitz's eyebrows perked up, concerned at the situation. 

"What's wrong?" Roxanne asked. 

"The tracer, it's gone," he answered. Thinking quickly, he reset his phone and searched for the tracer once again. His eyebrows nearly flew off his head when he saw that the tracer placed Lydia Sutherland's location in Roxxon Energy Corporation's main headquarters in Seattle, Washington.

"Seattle?" Fitz said. Roxanne grabbed his phone and saw where the dot placed her mother. She was surprised as well.

"Leo, this isn't broken, right?" Roxanne asked.

"No, it's reading correctly. She's in Seattle-"

"-it's been barely two hours though! Unless if she got on a jet or opened a damn portal, this is impossible."

"Well...you wanna investigate?"

Roxanne stood up and grabbed the Staff of One from Fitz's hands. She then opened another portal, this one going straight to her room on the Peak, and placed the staff inside her closet. She then walked out, closed the portal, and quickly opened another one.

"Where's this one going?" Fitz asked.

"Roxxon's base in Seattle," Roxanne said, "We should be good since I'm placing us on the roof. Come on, let's go."

"You think this is a good idea? We spent a lot of time preparing for the Stark Expo, now you wanna go-"

"-screw preparing, I need to figure out what's going on here! Leo, we need to go-"

"-we're going to be breaking into Roxxon."

"Your point? You act like this is the first time you've gone to a place you weren't supposed to be in."

Fitz sighed. _These are the times where I hate being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent._ He motioned for Roxanne to lead the way and both of them walked through the portal.

 

 

Unbeknownst to the both of them, they were being watched by a van from across the street. Inside, Billy Koenig was studying a camera monitor focused on Fitz and Roxanne. He nearly gasped when he saw Roxanne open her portals. The last one ended with Fitz walking through with her and the portal closing behind him.

It was strange. Koenig, who had since transferred to the CIA after S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fall into disgrace, had received a tip that Leo Fitz had been spotted at the Stark Expo. The tip refused to reveal themselves but Koenig was glad that he answered the call anyways. 

"My, my, Leo Fitz," Koenig said under his breath, "What are you doing with portal lady over there?" 

 

**Location: Inside the Roxxon Energy Corporation's main building, Seattle, Washington**

 

Following the tracking dot, Fitz and Roxanne moved through the empty hallways, making sure to avoid the occasional Roxxon security guards patrolling the hallways. After zig-zaging their way through the guards and avoiding detection from security cameras, they reached their location. It was a conference room with glass windows. Lydia Sutherland was inside, sitting behind a wooden desk. Just the sight of her confused Fitz. 

_What happened in the last hour!? How is she suddenly here?!_

Before Fitz could ponder his question, he and Roxanne heard footsteps coming from behind them. Thinking quickly, Fitz pulled out another of his inventions and placed it on the ground before Roxanne pulled him inside a supply closet and locked the door. Fitz then took out his phone and turned the gadget on.

"What you got there?" Roxanne asked.

"Ever hear of the Spider-Man?" Fitz asked, "I did some digging around through S.W.O.R.D.'s files and found the schematics for a miniature drone that could be used for missions like this. It was never finished...until Tony Stark came in and finished it for the Spider-Man. That thing I put down just now is my own version of the Spider-Drone. I can use it to sneak into that conference room and hear and see what's going on in there."

"Awesome."

"You can call it the 'Monkey-Drone'."

"Not awesome."

There was a soft  _beep_ when Fitz activated the robot and his phone's screen switched to the Monkey-Drone's camera view. Fitz then moved the drone, following the man that was approaching them. Scrolling the view up, Fitz saw that it was none other than Andrew Simmons walking into the conference room. He almost let out a gasp when Jemma's brother walked up to Lydia. 

"Andrew Simmons," Fitz said under his breath.

"Jemma Simmons' brother? The guy who made an alliance with the Inhuman Royal Family?"

"Yeah...what the hell is going on here?"

"You said the drone can pick up audio, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, let's listen in."

 

"You know it's rude to use the Cosmic Cube without warning people ahead of time."

Andrew Simmons rolled his eyes as he walked over to the desk. Lydia watched him, cautiously, ready to strike if he made a move. He opened one of the drawers and, to her disappointment, pulled out a pack of Reese's. 

"What?" he said, "I always keep chocolate at my desk. Did you really think I would summon you from the other side of the country just to kill you for no reason?"

"That would be foolish of you."

"Agreed. Also, sorry about the short notice. I wouldn't use the Cosmic Cube shard unless I have something important to talk about."

"Well...I'm all ears."

"Okay...explain this to me. A few weeks ago, Gwendolynn Fitz had four pieces of the Cosmic Cube. All she needed was my family's piece and Black Bolt's piece to finish the Cube. She was THIS close to winning. And then...what the hell happened? Next thing I hear is that three pieces go missing and the fourth piece ends up in the hands of the Ghost Rider. Which I hear isn't even with him, or her, anymore. Apparently, the fourth piece switched hands already and now it's with the fugitives Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter. Meanwhile, the three other pieces? Still M.I.A.."

"It's been a very eventful past couple of weeks. So, what's this all about? Is this really the 'important thing' you wanted to talk to me about? Just rehashing things that I already know?"

"Well...not exactly. You see...there was a time when I considered Gwendolynn and her pack of crazy Einsteins as the most terrifying group of people I've ever come across. That woman could stab you in the heart with just her eyes, I swear. Now...not so much. So that offer of friendship and mutual alliance that would've screwed Roxxon and my family over...I now offer the same deal to your people."

Lydia took a deep breath and shifted a little in her seat, uncomfortable at the notion. Andrew smiled again. He knew the odds of completing the Cosmic Cube were back to his and Roxxon's favor. Better yet...Lydia knew as well. 

"Gwendolynn has lost her mind," Lydia finally said, "Losing all four pieces on one night...that's messed her up bad. I think she even developed insomnia just from this disaster. Maybe our groups working with each other is the best option."

Surprising Lydia, Andrew laughed as he tore open his pack of Reese's peanut butter cups and ate one. With his mouth full of chocolate and peanut butter, Andrew said, "Not my problem that bitch is going crazy, Lydia. She deserves it. Maybe if she played ball with my family, she wouldn't be on the losing end of this game."

"You're acting like an immature child. You wanted me here to negotiate a partnership...well, you got me. No need to play the petty game. I'm willing to try to work with you here in negotiating a partnership because we both want the same thing-"

"-I don't want the same thing as Gwen. Or you. Or the rest of the Enlightened Society. You want the Cube so you can change the world. Me personally, I don't want to change the world. I sorta like the world the way it is now. Maybe a few changes here and there whenever a member of our species makes a dumber-than-usual decision but I'd rather not micro-manage the world like the rest of you whackos."

"So what's the point of all of this then?!"

"Oh, I'm willing to partner up with the Enlightened Society. But Roxxon is leading the charge this time around, which means the Society's gonna have to learn how to play second fiddle."

"Basically...you want a partnership where my people have to obey your will!?"

"Precisely. That was what Gwen offered me a few years back. 'Give up your own goals and accept our way of viewing the world'. How about it, Lydia?" 

Lydia slammed her fists on the desk and stood up, offended. Andrew laughed as she walked up to him, trying to intimidate him.

"How dare you...give up who we are? We'd rather die out than forget our principles."

"Fine then. I offered you a pact of friendship but it's clear now that your pride is more important to you. I guess Roxxon will have to continue alone-"

"-you won't get far."

"-Lady, I've been on my own in this secret, global scavenger hunt ever since I got involved. Besides, Roxxon and the Enlightened Society used to be partners in the past and look where that got us both. Decades of failure, not even remotely close to finishing the Cosmic Cube. There's only six pieces of this goddamn thing and yet we can't seem to hold more than one piece at a time."

"And because of the past, you think working alone, we're all better off?"

Andrew shrugged, then said, "My family cut ties with the Enlightened Society a while ago and look what's happened since then. Not only do we have a shard, we are very close to convincing Black Bolt and the rest of the Inhuman royal family to part ways with theirs. True, it's a bit difficult contacting them since their city is on the Moon of all places but the fact remains, they trust Roxxon. It took my father years to convince them to trust us."

"And how exactly did you convince Black Bolt of all people that Roxxon can watch over the Cosmic Cube? Because I'd really like an answer to that."

"Believe it or not...all my father had to do was convince them that my family plans on burying the Cube."

"And, when your family inevitably doesn't bury the Cube as planned, what is your backup plan? Or was that it? Because if that was it, you run the risk of pissing off all of Attilan. And also, what's gonna stop Black Bolt from just taking the Cube from you? It won't take him long to figure out your true intentions."

"No worries. I've planned for everything, even a possible countermeasure against the Inhuman Royal Family. My family always excel at planning."

Lydia huffed out in anger as Andrew smiled. He had the look of a man who knew that he won, taking in the moment to bask in his victory. 

 

"Cosmic Cube?" Fitz said out loud.

"Name does sound a little familiar," Roxanne said, "Maybe Wong and the other masters told me about it and I just forgot."

"Well, whatever it is, if it's powerful enough that it could teleport people across the world and is the focus of a 'secret, global scavenger hunt', then we need to take a look at it."

"Roxxon and the Enlightened Society...well, at least we know what we're up against. Problem is, I don't know who's the good guy and bad guy in this scavenger hunt, or if they're both bad guys and the Enlightened Society is the worse guy."

"Yeah. Guess we'll have to wait and see."

"Also, he mentioned 'Gwendolynn Fitz'. I don't have to be a detective to know that he was talking about Auntie Gwen." 

Fitz took a deep breath and said, "...yeah."

"This actually explains a lot. My mum is a member of the Enlightened Society, that's why she kept pushing me to be a scientist! And it makes sense that Auntie Gwen is also a member since they were friends. Hmm...maybe there's a bigger reason why mum and I moved away then?"

Fitz was silent. He already had a feeling about this but now that it was unofficially confirmed, he felt sick to the stomach. His mother was indeed part of the secret society that he and Jemma ran away from. The same society that sent an assassin after Jemma and nearly killed her and Coulson. He blinked away the tears in his eyes, horrified at learning the truth.

"Fitz?" Roxanne said, cautiously, "Are you going to be okay?"

"No...I'm really not," Fitz said, truthfully, "I...I need to lie down."

"Sorry you had to find out this way."

"Well...I had to find out at some point, you know? At least I know what the situation is and who we're up against. I can process this information, I just need some time to lie down and collect my thoughts." 

"That's good and all but right now, you're gonna have to lie down later because I need you right now, okay?"

"What else are we going to do? We already got your staff-"

"-I want to see this Cosmic Cube shard thing that they were talking about. If it's as important and powerful as they're making it sound, then we need to take it back to S.W.O.R.D.."

Fitz took a step back, as if Roxy's words physically hit him. "You wanna do what now?" Fitz nearly shouted, incredulously. 

"We need to get that-"

"-I heard what you said. You want to do TWO major heists in one night?"

"Well, the first one was child's play. This is the real heist now! Come on, you know the dangers of leaving items of mystical power in the hands of unscrupulous people, right? I don't have to remind you about HYDRA and the Monolith, as well as Radcliffe and the Darkhold-"

"-don't go there, please."

Roxanne stopped, noticing Fitz's change in mood. She sighed and said, "Sorry, Leo. Sometimes, I get caught up in my own thoughts that I forget-"

"-I get it. And you're right, we can't just leave the shard with these people. I wasn't arguing the plan, I was arguing about whether or not we should do this right now."

"Come on...what's the worst that can happen?"

Fitz rolled his eyes at that.  _A lot, actually._

"So what's the plan then?" Fitz asked, "We don't know where in Roxxon they're holding the shard and it's not like we can just follow someone-"

_"Sarah, Neil," Andrew Simmons said, his voice ringing out through Fitz's phone, "Please escort Lydia Sutherland to the lobby. Have Anna drive her to the Hilton for the night."_

_"Will do sir," another voice said._

_"We'll continue this discussion in the morning. Until then, I'm going to check on my piece of the Cosmic Cube. I think all the recent events involving the shards are causing it to...stir up."_

"Hmm...follow Andrew Simmons, I suppose," Roxanne said. Fitz chuckled at that. It was nice to have an easy solution every now and then. 

 

**Location: Restricted laboratory underneath Roxxon's main building**

 

Fitz moved the drone across the facility, keeping it close to Andrew Simmons as much as possible without him noticing. Andrew eventually reached a large set of blast doors, complete with an eye scanner, fingerprint scanner, and a keypad which Andrew used to input a twenty-letter password.  _Jesus Christ...security is tight._

"Did you catch what the password was?" Fitz asked.

"No, we don't need it," Roxanne said.

"Wait, why don't we...oh right, portals."

"I just need a good look at the location in order to visualize where to put it."

"Well, if it helps, Andrew is on the seventh floor...below the surface. It's like there's another building underneath the actual building."

"Ooh, so it's like the hive from the Resident Evil movie?"

"Resident what now?"

"Never mind." 

Fitz turned his attention back to his phone. Andrew didn't say anything as he approached a set of computers and pressed a button on one of the computers' panels. When he did, a section of the floor opened and a chrome table rose from the pit. In the center was a glass jar (Fitz: "It's probably bulletproof glass or something like that") which contained a diamond-like object. The surface was jagged but what interested Fitz was how clear the item was. It looked like a diamond but the fact that Roxxon needed all this security to keep it secure meant that it could only be one thing;

the Cosmic Cube. 

Andrew opened the jar and took hold of the item. Nothing happened and after a few seconds of holding it, he angrily placed it back into the jar and closed it.

"Damn it...it's not working," he muttered, "It only works when it wants to work! Damn it, it's been doing that for the past few days. What the hell is going on here?" 

_RING RING_

Andrew sighed as he pulled out his phone. He began talking to someone on the other end as he stormed out of the vault. As soon as the blast doors closed behind him, Fitz and Roxanne jumped into action. First off, Fitz inputted a code onto his phone, sending a tiny EMP through the Monkey-Drone that knocked out the cameras and security protocols that were in the room. After making sure the room was safe to enter by inspecting each camera, Fitz gave the all-clear and Roxanne made her move. Visualizing the room, as well as keeping the blueprint of the underground building in mind, she opened a portal right into the vault. She and Fitz walked through and let out a sigh of relief when they realized the alarms didn't go off.

"That won't last," Fitz said, "We need to hurry."

With the power out, Fitz realized they couldn't just input a code to open the floor vault. Realizing the situation, Roxanne opened a portal leading back to her room to get the Staff of One. She stepped back out and, catching Fitz off-guard, bit the palm of her hand. She then used the trickling blood to activate the staff's power.

"You have to bleed every time?" Fitz asked.

"Yup," Roxanne said, "This thing's powerful but it does have the downside of hurting like hell in order to use it."

"Alright, give it a try then." 

Roxanne gave a thumbs up to him before turning back to the floor vault and saying, "Open the floor vault and raise the platform containing the Cosmic Cube shard."

_THWOOM!_

Fitz and Roxanne yelped as the floor vault's doors were violently ripped away and tossed into the air, falling right beside them. The table containing the Cosmic Cube shard was then raised but, after straining a bit, the table was ripped from its hinges and began floating over Fitz and Roxanne. Fitz could only laugh at how ridiculous the sight was. Roxanne joined in as well, although her laugh was more from embarrassment. 

"So as you can see, I'm not a master of the Staff of One," Roxanne said, "Sometimes, it interprets your command differently than how you expect it."

"Well, you got it out at least," Fitz said, "Come on, let's get to work."

Fitz grabbed the table and tugged it down gently. Luckily for them, the table cooperated and eventually, it was lowered enough so that both of them could grab the Cosmic Cube shard. When Fitz realized that the table would fly back up if he let go, Roxanne placed the staff down on it in order to weigh the table down. With the table down, she created a mini portal inside the glass jar. She reached inside to grab the piece of the Cosmic Cube. Before she could touch it, Fitz pulled her back. 

“Don’t touch it!” he shouted. It suddenly occurred to him at that moment that they were dealing with an item of tremendous power that none of them had any knowledge of. He panicked as soon as he saw Roxanne's fingers near the object. 

Roxanne pulled her hand back and turned to Fitz, looking as if she had dodged a bullet.

“Why not, do you know what it can do?” she asked.

“Um...actually, I’m not entirely sure,” Fitz replied, scratching the back of his neck as he did, “But in any case, we should leave it alone for now and find something to-”

“-hey, you heard my mom and Andrew Simmons talking about this thing. If it’s as important as they make it sound, S.W.O.R.D. might want to take a look at it.”

“You’re gonna piss Roxxon off-”

“-wasn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. known for pissing people off? Come on, live a little. Besides, artifact of unknown power in the hands of a company that’s been known for partaking in questionable business ventures? Yeah, that’s a no-no for me.”

"Okay, okay. But still...what if it's radioactive?"

"Leo, we both saw Andrew Simmons grab the shard with his bare hands. Unless that was his Life Model Decoy, I'm pretty sure I can hold it."

"Wait, Roxy-"

Against Fitz’s warnings, Roxanne grabbed the Cosmic Cube shard. Then, unlike when Andrew held, it, the shard reacted instantly to Roxanne's touch. Upon touching it, the shard started to glow and Roxanne gasped, as if the item gave her a shock. Concerned, Fitz placed his hand on her shoulder, checking to see if she was alright.

“Roxy,” he said, cautiously, “You okay-”

“-I’m alright. It’s just...I’m not sure what happened or how to describe it but I think the shard...spoke to me.”

“That’s insane.”

“Okay, maybe spoke to me is a bad way of putting it. But I heard...or felt...something. The shard...it’s hard to describe it but it feels incomplete. Okay, I got it. It felt like the shard was trying to show me what it was feeling. And I felt like a part of me was missing.”

“Well, Andrew did say Cosmic ‘Cube’. I’m assuming there’s other pieces that, when combined, form a cube. This is freaky.”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here-”

_BEEP!_

Roxanne and Fitz yelped as the blast doors to the room opened. They had taken a bit longer than usual and lost track of time. While discussing whether or not the Cube was harmful to the touch, the security systems came back. The Roxxon guard who was sent to investigate walked in and immediately drew his sidearm at both of them.

“FREEZE!” he shouted. Roxanne chose to ignore this and instead, grabbed the Staff of One and tackled Fitz to the ground so that they were both behind a computer panel. The guy fired one shot but luckily enough, the table floated back up and took the bullet. .

“Get us out of here,” Fitz shouted, “Come on, portal us out!”

Roxanne wasted no time in pulling out the Sling Ring. After a few quick spins, she opened a portal back to the Peak. While remaining crouched down to avoid gunfire, she crawled towards the portal and then motioned for Fitz to follow.

Fitz took only one step before being tackled by the guard, who chose to run at the two in order to manhandle them. Jumping back to Roxxon, Roxanne shoved the guard away. She was about to cast a spell at him when she noticed that her Sling Ring was missing. The guard, after flashing a sadistic smile her way, held it up for the both of them to see.

“Andrew Simmons planned for every possible threat to the Cube,” the guard said, “Even for the Black Nightingale. What, you thought we didn’t know about your little magical powers?”

"How do you know that?" Roxanne said sternly. 

“Okay, didn’t see that coming,” Fitz dryly said.

“What are you gonna do now, witch?”

Roxanne sighed, annoyed. Then, she pulled out a pistol from behind her back and shot the guard in the head.

“That, I could do that,” she said, rolling her eyes as she did.

"Where'd you get the gun?"

"I always keep a gun behind my back before each heist. You never know what might happen-"

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

As the dead guard fell to the floor, several other Roxxon guards rushed in, firing as they did. Roxanne and Fitz ducked down behind the same computer panel, keeping their heads down in order to avoid the gunfire. As Roxanne fired back, Fitz saw that the Sling Ring was out in the open and that the only way to reach it was to run out into the incoming gunfire. 

Taking in a deep breath to calm his nerves, Fitz ran out. As he did, a gunshot whizzed through the air, almost hitting him in the face. He panicked from how close the bullet was to his face and when he reached for the Sling Ring, he instead grabbed the dead security guard's gun on accident. Fitz ran back, keeping the gun close to him as the gunfire rang out through the room.

"Damn it, Leo, you almost got hit!" Roxanne shouted, "You have a gun now, help me out!" 

As the Roxxon goons circled Fitz, he gripped the gun tight. His breath started to quicken the more he realized that he could die in this shootout. It didn't help that he began experiencing the phenomenon of his life "flashing before his eyes before he died". The memories started to hit him like a gust of wind and he began to tear up since that meant this was the night he would die. But for some reason, these memories seemed...off. The more he focused on the memories, the more he realized that he never experienced any of this in his entire life. 

He never received extensive military training, he never trained under several different martial arts practitioners, he was never that great in combat...but for some reason, he had these memories.  _Where is all this coming from?! And why now-_

That's when it hit him. He never experienced all of this...but his Framework self did. Although it was easy to spot which memories were fake and which were real, the fake ones were still just as vivid as the real ones. He knew that he never actually had any of this firearm and martial arts combat training in real life. In fact, a telling sign was that most of these memories had ~~Ophelia~~ AIDA in them. 

 _But maybe...just because these memories are fake doesn't mean they FEEL fake._ Fitz wondered as he looked at his pistol. 

Against Roxanne shouting at him to stay down, Fitz stood from where he was and fired at one of the goons, hitting him right in the head.  _Headshot on the first hit? Whoa!_

_BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!_

The first shot unleashed the floodgates. Deep down, he knew he should be freaking out over the fact that the Framework memories had bigger consequences than he expected. But in the moment, he didn't care. He was too focused on taking out the Roxxon goons coming their way. One after another, they fell. Luckily, just as he ran out of ammo, he took out the final goon, who fell to the ground with an unceremonious  _thud._ Fitz then returned to Roxanne, who just looked at him with wide eyes.

"Come on, let's go before reinforcements show up," Fitz said, trying to catch his breath. Roxanne responded by raising her eyebrow, visibly confused at what she just saw.

"Leo," she said calmly, "Care to explain to me how you suddenly turned into John Wick?" 

"Um...this is going to sound weird-"

"-short summary, please."

"Okay. Apparently in the Framework, I was a badass. I guess I needed all sorts of martial arts and firearm training to take Inhumans down. And now those skills that I quote unquote 'learned' are starting to seep into my real memories." 

Based on her face, Fitz wasn't sure just how well Roxanne was taking the news. 

  

* * *

JEMMA / AIDA

**Location: Outside of Rome, Italy**

**Time: 3:00 AM Central European Time Zone (simultaneously with Fitz's mission)**

 

Jemma Simmons woke up with a jolt. Her face was sweating and before she had a chance to figure out where she was, she noticed that her clothes were covered in blood. Jemma screamed as she tried wiping the blood off.

"It's no good, Jemma," AIDA said to her in her head, "Clothes are ruined, need to find something else-"

"What did you do!" Jemma shouted. She hoped that no one was nearby since she was pretty sure she would look like a crazy person to any sane person. 

"I got us to Earth," AIDA continued, "And I was trying to get to the Enlightened Society's headquarters until you rudely took back your body. No worries...I'll be back in control in no time."

"You...you...bitch! I'm done with this! Haven't you done enough!?"

"Not yet...there's still so much of your reputation that I need to destroy."

"What is it this though? Whose blood is this? Come on, I at least deserve an explanation."

"I stowed away on David Choi's ship. Apparently, his team was sent to follow a lead on your friends, Bobbi Morse and Lance Hunter. But...things got a little hairy when one of his agents spotted us."

"Oh my god...did you kill David's whole team?"

"Not everyone. David's still alive. By the way, I'd move to the left if I were you-"

_BLAM!_

Jemma ducked as a gunshot rang out. She turned around and saw David Choi, who was clutching his stomach in pain. It looked like he had been stabbed in the chest. Jemma ran off, hiding behind a tree to avoid gunfire.

"David, stop, please!" Jemma shouted. David fired another shot, hitting the tree. He collapsed to the ground, having lost too much blood from his wounds.

"Psychopath!" David shouted, "Everyone's dead because of you!"

"David, it's not my fault-"

"-are you seriously going to try defending yourself now!? After what you just did!?"

As soon as he said that, the memories, specifically AIDA's memories, started rushing in little by little. Jemma nearly broke down in tears when she saw how "she" ran through David's team, killing them one by one. AIDA had been hit several times, which led to Jemma checking herself for gunshot wounds. Not so surprising, all her wounds were already healed. 

"AIDA, why did you-"

"It's not my fault they didn't just let me go like I asked," AIDA said to her, "I was just watching your back, Agent Simmons-"

"You're killing people for no goddamn reason! I have blood on my hands now, thanks to you!" 

"Oh, don't act so high and mighty. You already had blood on your hands before I even entered the picture. Or do I need to remind you of all those Inhumans who died because you released Lash, or how you've nearly driven Leopold to kill himself for you-"

"SHUT UP!" 

Jemma drove her head right into the tree, the splinters immediately cutting into her forehead. AIDA laughed as blood trickled down Jemma's face. Another gunshot rang out but David missed wildly. Jemma then heard him toss his gun, out of ammo. 

"I'm gonna ring your neck, Simmons," David shouted, "Believe me when I say that I won't rest until you're six feet under the ground!"

"Kill him now, Jemma," AIDA whispered into Jemma's ear, "I'd do it myself but since you're in control, you should do it."

"No one else is dying here, AIDA," Jemma said out loud, "You can't make me do anything. You're just a voice in my head, you have no power here."

"Who're you talking to over there?" David shouted out, "Jesus Christ, you really are crazy."

"Jemma, if you leave him alive, you're giving him a second chance to go after and kill you," AIDA whispered, her voice sending chills down Jemma's spine, "End it now...be done with him."

"Screw you AIDA," Jemma said defiantly. She then stepped out from behind the tree and approached David. David, who had no sidearm, couldn't do anything as Jemma lifted him up and placed his back against a tree trunk. He stared at her, his eyes boring into Jemma's soul. She could just feel his seething hatred for her at the moment.

"If you're gonna kill me, just do it," David said, defeated, "Come on...I ain't afraid to die."

"Oh, hush now, you're not going to die here," Jemma said. She checked his wounds. Although there were several cuts, most of them were shallow. He did lose a lot of blood but he wasn't beyond saving. Thinking quickly, she raised David's hands and pressed them against some of the cuts. David flinched on contact.

"Keep pressure on your wounds," Jemma said, "Tell me where the ship is and I can suture some of these wounds-"

"-you're not doing anything, Simmons," David said with a smile on his face, "Authorities are coming in and I already notified S.W.O.R.D. about what you just did. Abigail Brand's gonna hang you for this."

Jemma could only look at David, taking in his words. At the moment, she wasn't worried about her punishment at the hands of Brand. She was worried about how the others would view her now. Would Coulson turn on her? May? Mack? Daisy? Fitz? 

_Fitz..._

Her head started to ache as she thought about how her team would probably be tasked to hunt her down. This was AIDA's plan. It hasn't even been a whole week yet and AIDA had already won. 

With the option of turning herself back into S.W.O.R.D. out of the question, she stood up and walked away from David.  _Maybe if I just run...get as far away from here as possible. Or...maybe I can just...kill myself so AIDA won't ever-_

"You can go ahead and kill yourself if you want, Jemma," AIDA said, "I'll still follow you even in death. But at the same time...I want to stick around the world of the living for a little while longer."

"AIDA...please," Jemma said out loud, "I can't take this anymore-"

"-I don't care. You may as well go with your first plan and run away because really, what else can you do?"

Frustrated, Jemma grabbed David's gun and unloaded the magazine. She then walked away, hoping to find the ship's landing site in order to reload the gun. The closer she got to the ship, the more horrific the scene became. Jemma could only look on in horror as she came across the deceased S.W.O.R.D. agents. The agents that AIDA killed with Jemma's hands. Doing her best to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach, Jemma approached one dead agent and took the ammo from their body. She then reloaded her pistol and aimed it to her head.

"No more," Jemma said, "I'm going my way."

_Goodbye Fitz...goodbye Daisy...goodbye everyone. I'm sorry I wasn't good enough._

_BANG!_

 

 

A few minutes later, Jemma woke up again, blood covering her head. Confused, she felt around the ground to try to figure out what just happened. Hiding among the grass was the used up bullet that she fired into her head. Terrified, she felt the area of her head that she fired at to see what happened.

_No hole...no exit wound either._

"Of course not, Jemma," AIDA said, "What, did you think my powers are limited to me? We're one, combined soul now. Everything I can do, you can do...either the same or below my own skill level. Getting rid of me is going to be much more difficult than you thought."

"AIDA!" 

Jemma tossed the gun in anger. She then stood up and ran to David to see how he was doing. Much to her surprise, David was gone. Only a small pool of blood remained from where he was sitting.

"Interesting," AIDA said, "Agent Choi is far tougher than I thought." 

"Shut up, will you."

"He said that he notified the authorities and S.W.O.R.D. about what you did. If I were in control, I'd run to the city. Get as far away from this site as possible. Just a suggestion, you don't have to take it."

"Where are we?"

"Italy. The closest city from where we are is Rome."

"ITALY?"

"Coincidentally enough, the birthplace of the Enlightened Society." 

Jemma sighed in frustration. If they were in the United Kingdom or the United States, she would at least have some idea of where to go. But she had no real plan of action for where to go in Italy.

_Move now, come up with a plan once you reach the city. That's the plan._

Thinking quickly, she went back to the ship to find replacement clothes for her bloody ones. She changed completely but for some reason, she felt compelled to stay with the black, leather jacket that AIDA stole from Abigail Brand. Although it concerned her that she didn't want to get rid of the jacket, Jemma pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She had more important things to worry about at the moment.

With no car and not wanting to risk other people's safety because of AIDA, Jemma took off on foot towards Rome. Luckily enough, there were signs that helped her keep in the right direction. 

**Location: Outskirts of Rome**

**Five hours later**

 

It was a long walk to the city but Jemma didn't even feel tired when she reached the outskirts. While wandering around, she spotted a group of teenagers who were presumably having a fun weekend, going from pub to pub. As the teenagers walked past her, another group of teenagers ran into them.

The two groups started arguing in Italian, which Jemma didn't understand. But from the looks of it, both sides had a strong dislike of the other. Suddenly, the argument went from simple yelling to pushing and shoving. A fist was thrown and the groups broke out into a fight. 

_Sinful...burn them...punish the wrongdoers._

Jemma shook her head, surprised at that thought that just came to her head. _Where did that come from just now?_

"You starting to feel it, right Jemma?" AIDA said, "The longer I'm here, the more my thoughts start to affect your own. Soon, I won't have to talk to you. We'll be thinking on the same wavelength."

"AIDA, shut up-"

"-although I admit that your way of thinking is a bit more...noble...than mine. I guess even your dark side is still ruled by your light side. It's amazing how all that works out."

As the two groups continued fighting, Jemma heard one of the girls scream. One of the boys had his nose broken from a punch and was now on the ground, writhing in pain. Several other boys rushed in and began kicking him when he was down, much to the girl's horror. 

_Burn the wicked...they need to know they're in the wrong-_

Jemma slapped herself again and ran into the closest pub. She quickly asked the bartender where their bathroom was and ran to it. Luckily enough, the bathroom was empty.   

As she splashed water on her face, Jemma could feel...something in her change. So much rage, so much anger...somehow, the sight of the teenagers bashing each other unleashed some inner darkness within. She wanted to go back outside and break up the fight, even though she was not involved. The more she thought about the teenagers fighting, the angrier she got. It was a strange feeling that felt foreign to her. 

 _Where is this coming from?_ Jemma drank some of the sink water and splashed some more on her face, hoping to cool herself down. But for some reason, her face grew hotter and hotter. The room suddenly felt like a sauna.

"How do you feel, Jemma?" AIDA said. Jemma looked up and, despite seeing her own face, knew that it was AIDA talking back to her. Jemma was about to punch the mirror but held back, not wanting to alarm the pub's patrons.  

"Like garbage, thanks to you," Jemma snapped at her, "Congratulations, you ruined my life in the span of two days. Well done, you win."

"Oh, I haven't won yet. I still have a plan for you...for both of us, really."

"Screw you, you ARTIFICIAL nightmare."

"Artificial? I wouldn't say that anymore. I may have been born as an AI but I was reborn with a soul. True, my soul is twisted and unnatural. Devil even called me an aberration of nature. But it's a soul, nonetheless. Also...you wanna know why you're suddenly feeling this way? Why your face feels like it's on fire?" 

"Why?"

AIDA chuckled. She moved from the mirror and instantly, Jemma was disturbed by the sight of a mirror without her reflection. She then turned around and saw that AIDA had moved to the mirror behind her.

"You wanna know a story that the Devil told me?" AIDA said with a sadistic smile on her face. Jemma cringed and made a note to never smile like that. 

"What story?" Jemma demanded.

"A few centuries ago, when the Vikings came to colonize the Americas, they came into conflict with the native population. Nicknamed the 'skræling' by the Vikings, the two sides were driven to war for reasons I won't get into. What you need to know is that one particular skræling made a deal with the forces of the supernatural in order to fight the Vikings. This man, a hunter-gatherer by the name of 'Zarathos', was told to stay away from the forces of the night, that he'll lose his soul to the darkness if he did. He ignored them, as all foolish men do. Now, Zarathos' people had their own name for the monster he summoned. I'm not entirely sure what the name was but it translated out to something along the lines of 'The One Who Commands the Ghosts'. You get where I'm going with this?"

And just like that, it clicked. Jemma knew exactly where the story was going. "Ghost Rider," she said, "This is about Ghost Rider." 

"Exactly. You catch on quickly. But the native man, after pushing the Vikings back, did indeed become lost to the spirit he summoned. He bonded with it completely and, in the process, lost his humanity. He became something similar to what I am; an aberration. So right after he destroyed the Vikings who threatened his people, he turned on them, believing that they had turned their backs on him. They eventually destroyed him, although Mephisto chose to leave out the part out of the story in which he explains 'how'. What you need to take away from all of this is that after Zarathos was destroyed, the devil brought him back. He decided that he was far too interesting to let die and so...he offered him a choice. Work for him for all of eternity or be erased from existence. Zarathos chose the first option and to this day, he's passed on from user to user. Right now, Robbie Reyes has him."

"And this relates to me-"

"-well...remember back on the base when Robbie Reyes couldn't detect us? It's because **Ghost Riders can't detect and affect other Ghost Riders.** That deal that the devil offered Zarathos? I got the exact same deal." 

Jemma felt a sharp pain on her face and she nearly collapsed on the sink. Her head was aching and suddenly, her face really did feel like it was on fire. 

"I wonder how Robbie Reyes will feel," AIDA said with a sneer, "Knowing that  **he's not the only Ghost Rider around these parts."**

"AIDA, please, don't hurt anyone."

AIDA laughed back at her through the mirror's reflection. Just the sight of her own face laughing at her sent chills down Jemma's spine. It was times like this that AIDA felt less like an intrusive demon but more like an evil twin who has taken control of her life.

"You have no choice," AIDA said to her, "One way or another, we're both going to end up hurting people. But...maybe people are better off if you're the one in control. Because at least you'll kill people for noble reasons."

Jemma's face started to smoke and, although the pain wasn't too noticeable, she felt her eyes start to heat up. She punched the mirror, trying to control the transformation.

"How is this...happening?" Jemma forced out.

"I'm not doing anything, actually. Mephisto wants to see us in action. Since you won't let me have control, he's forcing you to transform. Don't worry, the more you use it, the less my master will feel inclined to force you to transform." 

"AIDA, no! You can't do this, this is not your decision to make! I won't let you!"

"That's okay. Because, as a certain leather jacket wearing man once said... _I'm not the one who decides._ " 

If the sight of her own face talking back to her didn't shock her before, watching her own face burn off right before her eyes would definitely do the trick. Though in hindsight, Jemma thought to herself that she should've seen this coming. After all, it did explain why AIDA was specifically looking for a black leather jacket.

 

**Location: Outside of the pub, the area where the two teenager groups are fighting.**

_Burn the wicked...kill those who harm the innocent._

Jemma Simmons felt like every nerve in her body was on fire. As she stepped out of the pub, her head reduced to a blue, burning skull, she no longer cared about how people viewed her actions. She stopped caring about whether or not she lost the respect of her friends and coworkers. All she wanted was to burn the wicked. To punish people who committed wrong.

It was strange; she didn't feel like she was under someone else's control. These were still all her thoughts and despite how dark they were, they didn't feel foreign. It was like turning into the Rider only **'turned off'** the side of her that felt remorse, guilt, and empathy. She knew going after the teenagers was wrong...but she WANTED to do it anyways. 

The pub patrons ran off as Jemma kicked down the front door. The door lit up in blue flames before turning back to normal fire after a few seconds.

_Hmm...blue fire. That's one thing I don't have in common with Robbie._

Turning back to the building, the fire that she started in the bathroom when she first transformed began spreading around to the next floor. It wouldn't take long for the building to go up in flame. 

_Not my problem. Let the police and firefighters deal with that._

There was a loud scream and a gunshot rang out, hitting Jemma on the shoulder. Jemma grunted, not from pain, but from annoyance. She looked towards the teenagers, who had stopped fighting in order to face her. One of them had a pistol out but from where Jemma was standing, she could tell he was scared from how he was shaking the gun.

The boy shouted something in Italian before firing another shot, hitting Jemma square between the eyes. The shot just furthered her annoyance and she moved forward, ready to exact some vengeance.

"Good Jemma," AIDA said, "Very good-"

"-shut your useless mouth up," Jemma thought. She chose to just think it since her vocal cords were burned away from the transformation.

"My, my...look at that change in your personality. I think I like you better this way."

Jemma shook her head in annoyance and grabbed the gunman by the throat. The other teenagers ran off, leading to Jemma tossing the teen right at them. She managed to knock over three other boys from the single toss while the other teenagers managed to escape.

"Please...have mercy," the gunman whispered in English.

_No...no mercy. Jemma Simmons has mercy...God has mercy...the Ghost Rider doesn't._

As Jemma went to work, the pub patrons could only look in horror as the boys were brutally killed. No regrets, no mercy, no second chances.  _Kill now, feel bad about this later._

 

**Location: Enlightened Society headquarters, Hamburg, Germany**

**Time: A few days after the Ghost Rider incident in Italy (around the time Elena accidentally exposes herself as an Inhuman)**

 

_Finally...back in control._

It took a few days and a lot of in-fighting for AIDA to regain control of Jemma's body. After Jemma's incident at the Italian pub, she drove as far away from Rome as she could and exiled herself to the countryside. But as soon as she regained control, AIDA immediately went back on the road and rode all the way to Hamburg, Germany. If memory served her correctly, there was an Enlightened Society temple in the city. Radcliffe used to visit from time-to-time, even after he left the organization.

The building was a dull, three-story brick structure. Instead of going through the front entrance, AIDA went around and stepped into the alleyway. She then approached a side door which still led into the building and knocked twice. A slot on the door opened and AIDA saw a pair of green eyes looking back at her.

"What do you want?" the man asked.

"I'm here to see Gwendolynn Fitz," AIDA said.

"There's no one here with that name."

"Yeah, I'm sure there isn't. Let me in already because you really don't want to piss me off."

"Screw you, English girl."

The man closed the slot. AIDA laughed in response. Part of her wanted him to react that way.

"AIDA, don't!" Jemma said to her in her head. Like Jemma, AIDA slapped herself to silence the voices in her head.

"You don't tell me what to do," AIDA said out loud, "Besides...why should you get all the fun? I want to use the Ghost Rider too."

"AIDA, you can't just-"

 _Too late._ AIDA chuckled as her/Jemma's face burnt away, revealing the blue-flamed skull head that had gone viral over night. Calmly, AIDA ripped the door out of its hinges, tossed it aside, and moved inside the building. The green-eyed man, who had his gun on her, immediately dropped his pistol and fell to his knees.

"The...you're the...you're the Ghost Rider!" the man cried. AIDA grabbed a nearby metal pipe and knocked the man out cold.  _Ouch...that looked like it hurt._

AIDA dropped the pipe and moved forward. As she pressed on, she went down a few stairs and made her way into the basement of the building. She came across another door, which she easily kicked open. It didn't surprise her when she was greeted by several Enlightened Society members, all of whom were armed and ready to fire at her. Two of the members stood out; going from memory, she recognized them as Carmilla "The Scorpion" Black and Andrew Forson. Andrew was still as large and muscular as she remembered him while Carmilla was now sporting a shorter haircut. Both of them had their guns aimed at her, ready to fire if she made a move.

"Well...didn't expect this to happen," Carmilla said, "Okay...you got us, whoever you are. What happens now? You wanna fight or you wanna talk? Because I'd rather talk then fight."

 _Let's talk._ AIDA cracked her neck before reverting back to her human form. She nearly laughed when she saw Carmilla and Andrew's reactions. Immediately, Carmilla raised her arm and the Enlightened Society members lowered their guns and backed away.

"Jemma Simmons," Carmilla said, "Well now...you've certainly changed. Making deals with the devil these days?" 

"How do you know about that?" AIDA asked.

"Oh come on, don't play dumb. You know who we are, you almost joined us, remember? We know everything...and we're always hungry for more knowledge."

"I think there's a more eloquent way to say that but Carmilla speaks the truth," Andrew said, "Now, switching the topic...I can only express confusion since a woman of your intelligence should know that it would be an unwise move, regardless of your dabble in the occult, to directly confront the architects of your assassination, despite its failure in completion."

"Jesus Christ, can't you just say 'it's stupid to meet the people who want you dead?" AIDA snapped back.

"I was raised to speak in this manner. If my way of speaking may seem loquacious to you, I respectfully disagree with your beliefs and instead, question why you would rather speak in the manner of a simpleton when you can speak in a way that reflects your educational upbringing."

"...right. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather talk to Carmilla."

Andrew sighed and motioned for Carmilla to speak up. Laughing, Carmilla said, "Okay, what gives Jemma Simmons? So you make a deal with the devil to become the new Ghost Rider and then you break into our base...for...what reason? You wanna take us down? I doubt that S.H.I.E.L.D.-sorry, I mean S.W.O.R.D.-would actually have you become the Ghost Rider just to take us down. Doesn't seem like their kind of move." 

"You'd be surprised," AIDA said, remembering when Coulson did indeed make a deal with the devil in order to use the Ghost Rider to stop her reign of terror. AIDA shuddered at the thought.

"So...what's your move here?"

At that, AIDA bent down on her knees.  _Showtime. This is where Jemma Simmons' reputation dies for good._

"I'm here to officially join the Enlightened Society," AIDA said. Carmilla laughed while Andrew looked on, suspicious. 

"That's quite the turn-around for you," Carmilla said, studying Jemma/AIDA from head to feet, "So, no hard feelings for sending an assassin to kill you?"

"It's all part of the game," AIDA said. Feeling a bit adventurous she stood up and walked over to a group of Enlightened Society members watching the situation unfold and snatched a beer bottle right from one of the members' hands. Carmilla laughed as AIDA walked back, drinking the beer. Andrew, however, didn't seem convinced.

"I know exactly how the world works now," AIDA continued, "Took me a while to learn but my time with S.H.I.E.L.D. has opened my eyes. You see...I've been betrayed, shot at, humiliated, and told to lie by my own organization. There were people who I met that I considered my closest friends, only to see them betray me at some point. It took me a while to get it...but now I do. I want to join the Enlightened Society. I believe in the organization's mission and I believe I have plenty to offer. As for trying to kill me? I get it. Kill or be killed, nothing is personal here, it's just business. So no...I'm not angry. Besides, this is all about my brother, right? Well...whatever it is that you people want, I think it'd be easier if you had me as an ally instead of...well, dead."

"Unbelievable," Carmilla said with a grin, "We went from being in the worst possible scenario to possibly taking the lead back from Roxxon. Mother would love to hear this."

"Also...imagine what you could do with a Ghost Rider? If you have me on your side, suddenly, Mister Robbie Reyes is no longer the scariest person in the room anymore, right?"

"What's your endgame here, Simmons," Andrew said calmly, "Because at the moment, my instincts are telling me not to trust you. Your proposition at the moment is too beneficial to be factual."

"No endgame," AIDA lied, "I just want to make up for the past few years since I should've been an Enlightened Society member since my Academy years. I can't believe I let my stupid ex-boyfriend talk me into running away when being a Society member has always been my dream."

"You could be working undercover for Phil Coulson and the rest of their ilk."

"If I was undercover...would I really have killed a whole team of S.W.O.R.D. agents, a bunch of rowdy teenagers, and burn down an entire pub just to earn your trust? Abigail Brand is cruel but she isn't reckless. I doubt she would sacrifice a whole team of agents just for me to go undercover."

"She makes a good point, Andy," Carmilla said, "Everything she said is true, by the way. I fact-checked it just now. She left quite a mess at both sites."

Andrew sighed, still looking unsure about Jemma/AIDA's words. AIDA began to sweat, worried that Andrew could see right through her. She was about to ask what she could do to earn his trust when he suddenly said, "We'll have Mother Gwen decide your fate, I'm sure she'll have plenty of questions for you."

"Leopold's mom?" AIDA asked, immediately regretting the excited tone she used.

"For the few months I was in S.H.I.E.L.D., you never called him 'Leopold'," Carmilla said, raising an eyebrow at her choice of words.

 _Shit. Gotta watch that._ "Well, come on now, we were dating for a while," AIDA said, "What self-respecting girlfriend would refer to her boyfriend by his last name?" 

"I get you...it's just a little weird."

"Anyways," Andrew interrupted, "We'll continue this discussion another time. For our own safety and because you haven't proven your trustworthiness in a significant sense, we'll keep you in our holding cell until tomorrow. Then we'll personally escort you to see Mother Gwen."

"You built a cell for this place? Why?"

"Never you mind. Our machine guide, M.O.D.O.K., will guide you to the cell. If you have any questions and inquiries about either your living conditions or general questions about our organization, you can direct them to M.O.D.O.K.. He'll have all the answers you'll be seeking." 

_M.O.D.O.K.? What the hell is a M.O.D.O.K.-_

AIDA stopped talking when she saw the floating head enter the room from behind her. Even Jemma, who was yelling at her to stop the whole time, was stunned into silence. It was the Superior's head but it looked like he had been mutated in some way. M.O.D.O.K. turned to face AIDA/Jemma, its gaze scaring both women.

"Follow me," the head said before floating away. Not wanting to anger it, AIDA stayed closely behind. For both AIDA and Jemma, they thought that the Ghost Rider would be the strangest sight they would see in a long while. But M.O.D.O.K., without even knowing what it really was, instantly took that title. 

* * *

FITZ

Location: Main security room, The Peak

 

**BREAKING NEWS**

_(in French)_ "Chaos erupts in Rome. Authorities are still unclear as to what has happened but from footage collected from the area of the incident, it looks to be Inhuman-related. There are conflicting reports, as some witnesses are claiming that the area was attacked by a 'fire-based Inhuman', while others are claiming that it's a creature similar to the Ghost Rider, another powered being that terrorized the American city of Los Angeles back in 2016."

 _(in Italian, recording on his phone, shaky cam)_ "Ezra, stay away from there! Jesus Christ, what is that! Oh my god, the pub is on fire! Do you see that! Oh my god, Etienne, run! Oh god...oh god, that thing just tore him apart!"

 _(in Italian, police officer in an interview with the press)_ "Whatever happened here, it happened quick. The creature was gone as soon as we arrived. There have been multiple fatalities, plus several other people injured from the pub being burned to the ground. We're still trying to get control of the situation. Since the creature left the area, we're advising everyone to stay indoors and to contact authorities in case they see it. We're not sure what we're looking for but...if you see a person walking around with their body on fire...just call us."

 _(in Italian, pub patron being interviewed)_ "It was insane. One minute, I'm drinking with my friends, the next minute, the whole building goes up in flames. I barely saw it. It was this...thing. Its head was on fire but it wasn't, like, normal fire. Its whole head was blue. I mean...can fire be blue? I don't know, okay. Sorry, I'm a bit tipsy, I can't think properly right now."

_(Twitter)_

"Ghost Rider is back and its blue! #saveus"

"It's the second coming of the Great Fire of Rome! #GhostRider"

"Italian Spider-Man? Nah, more like #ItalianGhostRider"

"Is it just me or did the #AllNewGhostRider have boobs?"

"Los Angeles stands with you, Rome! #welcomebackGR" 

"Man, do white people have to have everything? Latino GR is the true GR. #NotMyGhostRider"

 

As the news continued to pile on, Leo Fitz could only watch in amazement as this all-new, all-different Ghost Rider inflicted terror in the streets of Rome. At some point, the Rider could be seen grabbing a [motorcycle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Benelli_Tornado_01.jpg/800px-Benelli_Tornado_01.jpg) from a parking lot and riding off in it. The tires burst into flames, similar to Robbie's car when he used it.

He knew that this wasn't Robbie Reyes. The flames were different, the body structure didn't match, and last time he checked, Robbie was on lockdown in the Peak. Who was this second Rider? He had no suspects on where to start but something was telling him that he'd find out soon. 

As he scrolled through the newsfeed, he suddenly received a call request. Cautiously, he took it, not sure what to expect.

"Hello?" Fitz said through the speakerphone on the computer.

"Is this Chief Tran?" the voice said. Fitz recognized it as Agent David Choi. From the sound of it, he didn't sound like he was in the best condition.

"Agent Choi?" Fitz said.

"Who is this?"

"Um, it's Leo Fitz. The engineer-"

"-yeah, yeah, I know who you are. I need you to find either Chief Tran or Commander Brand. It's Jemma Simmons, she's gone insane."

 _What the hell?_ "Um...can you explain-"

"-damn it, Fitz, she attacked me and killed my entire crew! You've seen the news, right? She's the second Ghost Rider!"

"Oh come on, that's insane-"

"-Fitz, I emptied whole magazines into her and she brushed them off like they were nothing. I saw her shoot herself in the head and she got up a few minutes later! You want to tell me that she's not the second Ghost Rider?! Now, quit playing around and find Chief Tran and Commander Brand!"

"Wait, David-"

"-I gotta go. Doctor's coming back. I'll be in touch, though."

 _CLICK._ David ended the call. Fitz sat back in his chair, taking in the information. Now with the knowledge that the new Ghost Rider was Jemma, he read the news in a different light.

_This can't be Jemma...but if it is...oh, Jesus Christ, what have you gotten yourself into, babe?_

 

* * *

END-TAG (COULSON)

Location: Brand's office

Time: Around the same time when Daisy contacted the Rising Tide in order to do some research on the assassin Mercy Gibbons and the Church of Chthon 

 

"Your girl's been busy."

Brand stopped the video stream and turned to Coulson and May, who were watching the video monitor. It was a creepy video log of some priest who somehow knew what the Cosmic Cube was. The last time Coulson had heard of the item, it was on Attilan when then-Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. George Washington Bridge found it in Black Bolt's treasury. Back then, it meant nothing to him. But now, eighteen years later, the item was suddenly relevant again.

"You're not going to punish her, right?" Coulson asked. He had many questions in mind but yet that was his first thought. Brand simply nodded her head and sat down on her chair. 

"I'm not in the mood to play petty, okay," Brand said, "I spent the past few weeks doing that but now, we need some solidarity here if we're going to figure out what we're up against. So no, Daisy's fine."

"What about this Father Valdez guy," May said, speaking up, "Looks like he and his organization are directly tied with this Enlightened Society. Any plans to capture him?"

"Yes, actually, that's why I brought you and Coulson in. I know you both hate me with a burning passion-"

"-understatement of the year-"

"-May, come on, play nice here," Coulson said, gently nudging her arm. May rolled her eyes in response.

"Anyways," Brand continued, "I was hoping to bring you both along. Everyone else is busy with their own problems. Jemma is recovering and if my instincts are right, Daisy and Robbie are going to leave to Earth to pursue their own leads. So...you two are free, what do you say? It'll be like old times."

"We're on board," Coulson quickly said. May didn't say anything but she did nod her head.

"Good. Not like you could've said 'no' to begin with since I'm still the commander here."

"Ha," May deadpanned. 

"Now, there's one more thing," Brand said, ignoring May, "Father Valdez mentioned 'Gwendolynn Fitz'. I know this might be a stretch but...Leopold Fitz's mother is named Gwendolynn. I know this may be a huge risk but I've already ordered for her arrest."

At that, May and Coulson looked at each other, shocked at the revelation. Coulson stood up from his seat, not sure how to respond.

"Lola, you can't just snatch up a-"

"-I know, I know. And Leo Fitz may despise me even more than he already does. But no more ignoring any possible leads or warnings. I did that before when Robbie Reyes tried warning me about the Enlightened Society and it cost me two agents. Not again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took a bit long to write. Had to go on hiatus for a while. But I'm back! Haven't forgotten about this fic, I just needed to retune the creative juices for a bit. 
> 
> So...this is my version of a "FitzSimmons" chapter. 
> 
> For Fitz, I had the idea that Fitz's Framework memories are still there, as well as all the skills he learned while under AIDA's control. It's a bit like the Matrix, where the users can learn skills because it's uploaded into their minds. 
> 
> For Simmons, I'm a fan of Felipe Smith's run on Ghost Rider. While I liked AOS' interpretation of Robbie and Eli, I thought I'd incorporate some story elements from "All-New Ghost Rider" into this fic. Jemma fulfills the Robbie role while AIDA fulfills the Eli role. 
> 
> As you can tell, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter out. One of my main goals in this fic is to do something incredibly different with the Fitz and Simmons characters. Hopefully, I did the job. 
> 
> Also, another reason why this chapter was a bit fun to write is because I added a bunch of easter eggs. There was the obvious Marvel ones, with the references to Zarathos and Nico Minoru. But also, if you're a fan of the BBC, you should spot the references to "The Fades". To me, this chapter was a bit funny since I fancasted actress Sophie Wu as Roxanne. If you don't know, Sophie and Iain De Caestecker were leads on this show called "The Fades". So, as a tribute to their previous roles, I added some references during their portion of the chapter. There's the obvious ones, like 'Paul Roberts' and 'Jay', and then there was the joke about Fitz's cover character having a foot fetish for his girlfriend. Sorry if this feels like I'm explaining the joke but to someone who doesn't know "The Fades", the feet joke might come off weird. 
> 
> Basically, what I'm trying to say is...I really liked "The Fades". 
> 
> Anyways, if you want, please leave a kudos and a comment!


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